Resetting the relationship
''We know there are disagreements, but we also know there is a long and proud history of friendship between the Jewish community and Labor.'
A new group of Jewish and non-Jewish Australian Labor Party members will meet in Melbourne this Sunday for what organisers describe as a landmark workshop.
They say it’s designed to reset and strengthen the relationship between Labor, the Jewish community, and Israel.
The initiative, co-organised by former Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) assistant secretary Michael Borowick and Adam Slonim, director of the Middle East Policy Forum and an ALP life member, brings together rank-and-file members, community activists, and policy thinkers committed to finding new ways to organise and engage within the party.
“We know there are disagreements, but we also know there is a long and proud history of friendship between the Jewish community and Labor, and between Australia and Israel. This workshop is about ensuring that history is not lost, and about building new forms of dialogue and cooperation,” they said.
The workshop comes as supporters feel their position as friends of Israel is increasingly being challenged within Labor ranks under the Albanese government.
Slonim emphasised the grassroots focus of the initiative, which differs from existing advocacy group Labor Friends of Israel by concentrating on branch and union level engagement rather than public commentary.
“We’re a group of people who just want to put our shoulders to the wheel and seek other like-minded people to really work on that ability to find that safe space in Labor,” he said.
Over 30 people are expected to attend the Sunday morning workshop, which will examine policy impact, addressing antisemitism, and organising within party branches and unions.
“We want to look at the segments of the labour movement, we want to look at unions, we want to look at branches, where can we make the impact, and how would we go about doing that in a positive and open way,” Slonim said.
The workshop will focus on practical strategies for collaboration, rebuilding trust, and ensuring the Jewish community feels supported and respected within Labor.
Organisers say their shared goal is to reduce the damage of recent divisions, restore mutual respect, organise for the next ALP National Conference, and build a more constructive path forward.
Acknowledging scepticism about Labor’s Israel stance, Slonim argued activists cannot abandon the political terrain to those hostile to Israel.
“Does that mean you just walk away and leave the political terrain to the Tony Burkes and Bob Carrs of this world? We could never do that we would be ashamed to walk away and just leave it to the haters,” he said.