News and Events

A call for action

Last week I participated in a very moving event at TBI  with Noam and Gali Tibon who shared their incredible story driving to the Gaza envelope on October 7th in an attempt to save their son, daughter in law and toddler grandchildren.

More on their incredible story can be found here:

https://abcnews.go.com/International/year-after-attack-israeli-couple-recounts-oct-7/story?id=114518255

Concluding the event Phyllis Dorey OAM, Chair of the World Union For Progressive Judaism spoke on the little that each and everyone of us can and should do to support the future of Israel not just its security but also its character – what type of country will it be in a year, in a decade?

Phylis said that one of the greatest threats facing Israel today is its government. For some of us in the diaspora, it is hard to distinguish between the Israel imagined in the Declaration of Independence, and the present reality of Israel, where it appears that bringing home all the remaining hostages is not the primary goal of many of those in leadership if it interferes with their political aspirations or holding on to power. Israelis and diaspora Jews are together facing existential threats, in all their ugly, subversive manifestations.

For me, it is clear, that for us to move forward, here, in Israel, and indeed globally, we need to have a strong and loud voice as Progressive Zionists, where our values, how we express our faith and our belief in Am Israel – our peoplehood -are strengthened and modelled by our communities and our leaders.

So how do we do that?

We should not be silenced: we must stand up and be counted. Here are two ways you can do that.

1. The World Zionist Congress elections will be held in Israel in October this year, and we need to strengthen our presence and influence there. The Congress is the legislative body which allocates millions of US dollars to support programs in Israel and globally. The Ultra-Orthodox community has pledged to defund Progressive Jews – in Israel and worldwide – if they win a majority of mandates. We cannot let that happen. If you are not already a member of ARZA, please join, either through your synagogue or directly, register to vote, and if needed, vote, to ensure we maintain our mandates (based on our membership numbers) through our membership of the Australian Zionist Federation.

2. By saying “hineini”-here we are, with our voices, and our resources, we can again answer the call to help our families in Israel, and Ukraine, to stand by them in their struggles, to envelop them in our hearts and give them the strength to keep going so that they truly know they are not alone in this fight

WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Our opponents in the WZC campaign are highly motivated religious fundamentalists whose vision for the future of Israel is diametrically opposed to ours. They are organizing to destroy what we value, including:

Chipping away at Israel’s democracy
Stripping our Israeli Reform clergy – especially our women rabbis – and our Reform communities of their rights, funding, and infrastructure
Making sure that our converts and our children are not welcome in the Jewish state
Their vision writes Reform Jews out of the next chapter of Jewish history and will make Jews in Israel and around the world less safe.
Our campaign will help ensure that Israel reflects our Reform Jewish values and is a place where our children and grandchildren will always be safe and welcome. The Reform Jewish representatives in the WZC help promote our values on issues that affect all of us.
Join ARZA today or learn more at https://arza-australia.square.site/

In order to be able to have your say and vote in the coming election to the WZO – please register and join here:

https://arza-australia.square.site/

Please also share this link with your Jewish friends and family and encourage them to join

World Zionist Congress elections begin amid crisis – The Jerusalem Post

More about the WZC election can be found here: 

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-845059
https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/article-845059?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&utm_medium=share

Wishing you all happy Purim

Kind Regards,

Ayal Marek,

ARZA Australia

President

Union for Progressive Judaism

Vice president

Hostages Release

The people of Israel have been on an emotional roller coaster over the past few weeks with the release of hostages. Their families, who have been going between hope and despair for 16 months – demonstrating, advocating, and pressuring the Israeli government through any avenue they could, and meeting with leaders around the world to pressure Hamas – have finally managed to find some comfort with the release of their loved ones.

The entire Israeli people have been crying with them, tears of happiness when reunited with their loved ones. The spirit shown by these young 20 year old women has been a source of strength for an entire nation.

Yet all of them have said their happiness will not be complete until all remaining hostages are released. This spirit of solidarity ( Arvut haddait ) – mutual commitment –  is a unique unifying force of Israeli society. What may been seen by the opposing side as a weakness is in fact a source of strength. We look forward together with the rest of the people of Israel for the release of all hostages.

See below for some key events coming up and some important information to share with the community:

UIA Progressive Appeal 2025 Campaign Launch – “Don’t just give to Israel, change Israel.”

We would like to encourage everyone to support the UIA Progressive Appeal 2025

Attached please find a press release regarding the upcoming visit of IDF Major General (Ret) Noam Tibon and his wife Gali.

SYDNEY:
SUN 2 MARCH at 10am: Progressive Women (private home)
MON 3 MARCH at 7pm: Emanuel Synagogue
TUES 4 MARCH at 7pm: North Shore Temple Emanuel

MELBOURNE: THURS 6 MARCH at 7pm: Temple Beth Israel

PERTH: MON 10 MARCH at 7pm: Temple David

For further information and to attend one of the functions go to:

upj.org.au/uia-progressive -appeal/

Solidarity Mission to Israel

We are happy to share the attached solidarity mission organised by the

 National Council of Jewish Women Australia 

Register your interest here: https://events.humanitix.com/ncjwa-solidarity-volunteering-mission

Last but not least:

 Israeli democracy is at risk

You can help protect it ahead of the coming World Zionist Congress Please support the values of democracy liberalism and pluralism.

ARZA represents Australian Progressive Judaism and Progressive values at the World Zionist Congress to be held in 2025. Our delegates will team with Progressive delegates from around the world. We need your membership to make sure we can effectively represent Progressive values of democracy, social justice, human rights, equality for all, and religious pluralism at the Congress in the face of growing opposition.

The total number of Australian members of ARZA determines the number of votes we have at the Congress, where over $1 billion is allocated to programs in Israel and in the Diaspora. The fundamentalists are opposing progressive Judaism and are aggressively trying to undermine all that we stand for. They seek to cancel us,  reject reform and Conservative  conversions and question our children’s Jewish identity. They demand gender segregation in israeli society, roll back gains for religious pluralism, gender equity, LGBTQ+ rghts and strive to undermine democracy and adnvance ANTI-democratic, racist policies.

You can make a difference right now!

Here is the link to – join now:

https://arza-australia.square.site/

We need your help urgently!

Happy New year,

We are delighted about the news for the release of the hostages still kept in the tunnels of Gaza hopefully starting next week.it is believed that several dozens are still alive and their release is being prioritised (although the release of all would have been the preferred option).

For the past few months we have witnessed dramatic changes in the geo political landscape. The Iranian axis has received serious blows, including the Hizbollah defeat in Lebanon; the destruction of Iranian air defence systems and other critical infrastructure , leaving their nuclear facilities and oil industry vulnerable, and most recently, the collapse of the Assad regime – a key ally of Iran and Hizbollah. The Houties in Yemen are the only force still showing signs of aggression with two long range missiles hitting central Israeli cities in the past week or two.

The weakening of the Shiite axis, together with the harm caused to Hamas military capabilities, has narrowed the immediate threats Israel is facing on multiple fronts, with potential strategic opportunities for a shift in its relationship with key countries in the Suni Muslim world, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia.

On the other hand, we are seeing a growing risk for a radical Sunni axis. The new leader of Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, is an ex-Al Qaeda Jihadist purporting to showcase a moderate side, yet considering his history, this is not a likely long-term, reliable presumption one can make. His emerging patron Turkey, led by a Muslim brotherhood loyalist (sharing the same religious extremist ideology as Qatar and Hamas ) could form another potential threat on the Israeli border that has been relatively quiet since the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Learning the lessons of October 7, Israel pre-emptively conquered the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and other parts of the Golan Heights to create a security buffer zone to protect from potential militia and terrorist groups that are currently spread across Syria. Countries like Jordan and Egypt are also keeping a close eye on potential threats to their internal stability, as well as the Kurds and Druze communities who are potential targets for attack by the new Syrian regime and it’s allies.

European countries are also reacting by considering the return of their many Syrian refugees

The Israeli government must navigate this changing landscape as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his corruption trial 3 days a week. In addition to this, the Israeli coalition is continuing its legislative initiatives aimed at weakening certain pillars of the democratic system such as the judiciary, the police and the public prosecution.

We are also witnessing the Palestinian Authority returning its governance in cities like Jenin that have been a stronghold of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.

It remains to be seen whether Israel is going to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities or would a new nuclear deal will be signed following President’s trump inauguration and what alternative governance system can be established in Gaza to replace Hamas.

We are looking forward to seeing the hostages released and reunited with their families

Le’shalom

Ayal Marek

ARZA

President

UPJ Cp Vice president