Rabbi Yaakov Glasman, Senior Rabbi at St Kilda Hebrew Congregation, was the keynote speaker on leadership and social cohesion in front of 500 Victoria Police cadets, supervisors, Academy leadership and police chaplains at the Police Academy this morning.
Rabbi Glasman used the example of Abraham and his big tent in the desert, with openings on all sides, as a metaphor for openness and welcoming of diversity in leadership.
The event was arranged by the Police Academy, arising from Academy leadership attending the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation annual Multifaith Shabbat in August.
Assistant Commissioner Tim Hansen, who runs the Police Academy remarked that Victoria Police had been striving to better reflect the diversity in the community. When asked to put up their hands if they or their parents were born overseas, the vast majority of the audience raised their hands. Hansen also spoke about the important role the Police play in social cohesion.
Janice Iloni-Furstenberg, the first woman to be elected president of St Kilda Shule, spoke about overcoming the barriers to gender equality.