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This fringe group is not it

Stop calling them the JCA

But I implore you all – do not abbreviate their name to JCA when you do.

By Gareth Narunsky January 30, 2025, 12:07 pm Edit
Members of a Pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett
Members of a Pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

The latest controversy surrounding the Jewish Council of Australia understandably has many people talking.

But I implore you all – do not abbreviate their name to JCA when you do. It does a disservice to one of the great organisations in our mainstream Jewish community, the Jewish Communal Appeal (JCA) NSW, which since 1967 has been fundraising and planning for the benefit of the Sydney community.

Understandably as the Jewish Council of Australia is Melbourne-based where the real JCA is less known, using that acronym has become a simple way to refer to it. But it does not deserve to share those letters with an organisation that helps to fight antisemitism, keep us safe, educate our kids, look after our elderly and much more.

There is only one JCA. This fringe group is not it.

Gareth Narunsky is editor-in-chief of The AJN.

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