ARZA Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that works to represent the views and values of Progressive Jewish Zionists. We work to ensure that Israel lives in peace and security as promised in its Declaration of Independence. We work to strengthen the Progressive Movement in Israel, Australia and worldwide.
Why Join ARZA Australia?
YOU SHOULD JOIN ARZA BECAUSE:
- ARZA (Australian Reform Zionist Association) represents the views of the Australian Reform (Progressive) movement relating to social policies in Israel
- These include trying to break the monopoly of the orthodox rabbinate on matters like civil marriage and divorce, equality for women, access to the Kotel, and state salaries for Progressive rabbis
- ARZA does this by sending delegates to participate in the meetings of the World Zionist Congress, which represents the diaspora in Israel and has considerable influence with members of the Knesset
- ARZA has strength in Israeli forums because of its weight of numbers. Our voting power is directly related to the number of members we have.
- If we can build our membership numbers, we will increase our influence
- ARZA also gives financial support to Australian youth through grants to Netzer and young people undertaking leadership studies and training
- ARZA does not get involved in internal Israeli politics or its foreign affairs.
- Membership fee is only $18 per person a year. This is less than a cup of coffee a month.
- ARZA membership is strongly supported by the Moetza, the association of Australian Progressive rabbis, and by your own synagogue Board
Please add $18 for each person over 18 years of age in your family to your synagogue membership invoice and help us to keep the Progressive voice strong in Israel.
News and Events
A Moving Story From October 7
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 [...]
Hostage return
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 [...]
Ceasefire Deal
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 [...]
We Wont Stop Until They Are Back
As Progressive Zionists, we know that supporting a pluralist and egalitarian Israel is more important than ever post-October 7, and also because of the continued attempts to undermine Israeli democracy in the name of “judicial reforms”. ARZA needs your membership to make sure we can effectively represent the Progressive values of democracy, social justice, human rights, equality for all, and religious pluralism at the World Zionist Congress in the face of growing opposition. ARZA Australia will represent [...]
If Not Now When
On Friday, December 6, 2024, arsonists attacked the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. Over the past 14 months we have seen continuous acts of incitement to violence, hate speech, intimidation, boycotting and cancellation targeted at Jewish community members. It seems that apart from rhetorical condemnation, law enforcement was minimal to non-existent. At ARZA we have been alerting to the risk of escalation and that lack of enforcement of legislation regarding hate speech and incitement to violence sends the wrong signal [...]
Albanese Government Supports Unconscionable UN Resolutions
SHAME YET AGAIN AS THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS UNCONSCIONABLE UN RESOLUTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE As Alexander Downer when Foreign Minister of Australia in 2005 said in reference to United Nations resolutions “too many of these resolutions are aimed at condemning Israel. You would think by looking at these resolutions that this small country – with a population roughly equivalent to NSW and a land mass one fortieth its size – is [...]