Australians prominent in global antisemitism Forum
Australians played a prominent role in the deliberations of the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, which took place recently in Jerusalem.
Jones seated centre, listen to address
Jeremy Jones , Director of International and of Community Affairs for the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, who is internationally recognised as the expert on antisemitism in Australia and an authoritative exponent of inter-religious dialogue, was given the honour of Chairing the Plenary Seminar ” Muslim Religious Leaders Condemning Antisemitism”.
In addition, Jeremy Jones made the lead presentation to the working group “Interfaith Dialogue as an instrument to mitigate Antisemitism”, spoke at the working group on “Maintaining continuance of Diaspora Jewish Life” and was involved in discussions with convenors of task forces on a range of other matters.
Andre Oboler, the CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute, co-chaired the working group on “Antisemitism on the Internet and in the Media”. He presented the group’s findings to the Conference in a Plenary session. Dr Oboler also co-chaired this working group at the previous Global Forum.
Jeremy Jones, who has participated in each of the seven forums which have brought the world’s most respected analysts, commentators and activists together, where he had addressed plenaries on antisemitism in Australia and Asia, racism in society and the use of law to respond to antisemitism, said that the 2013 Forum provided “a real focus on issues of concerns” and will give “vital impetus to promoting best practices in a wide range of areas”.
Peter Wertheim, the Executive Director of the ECAJ, also attended the Forum, where he participated in the working group on “Law, Legislation and Enforcement in Combating Antisemitism”.
Jeremy Jones and Kim Beazley
Jones travelled shortly afterwards to Washington where he participated in the American Jewish Committee Forum. The unique experiences of Jews in Australia, the relationship between Australia and the USA and the global priorities in Australian diplomacy featured in a wide-ranging discussion with H.E. Kim Beazley, Australia’s Ambassador to the USA, at a session of the Global Forum of the American Jewish Committee in Washington earlier this month.
The discussion was moderated by Jeremy Jones, the Director of International and of Community Affairs of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, with participants from more than a dozen countries discussing issues with Mr Beazley, Mr Jones, Australasian Union of Jewish Students’ president Andrew Goldberg and former Australian community activist Arsen Ostrovsky.
“After the sessions, many participants complimented Australia on having such a high quality diplomatic representative and applauded this country’s pluralism and commitment to democratic principles” Mr Jones said.
At the conclusion of the session, Jeremy Jones presented Kim Beazley with a copy of the book “William Cooper: Gentle Warrior”, noting Mr Beazley’s Christian commitment, interest in Indigenous Australians and passion for social justice.
Jeremy Jones also presented a session on “Building Bridges: Best Practises in Muslim/Jewish Relations” to the AJC Access Summit, attended by young adults from more than 40 countries, which took place immediately before the AJC Global Forum.
