We need to be out there

LAST week, I was accorded the honour of addressing a Muslim school’s prizegiving ceremony in Hurstville, one of Sydney’s southern suburbs.It was a boisterous, happy occasion with speeches from the principal and the chairman of the board, and 350 people in the audience – students, extended families, the obligatory city councillor and ubiquitous DVD cameras as beaming parents and grandparents recorded their loved ones’ achievements for posterity.Not unlike a Moriah or Mount Scopus prizegiving ceremony. Except that this was a proudly Muslim school which had invited a representative of the Jewish community to present a major prize – its Citizenship Award.In my address, I dwelt on the imperative of recognising the humanity within each individual and commended the vision of the school leadership for reaching out to the Jewish community in this symbolically important way.Engagement between the Jewish community and other sectors is by definition a work in progress and one of the few positives to have emerged from 2010, a year which has seen significant negative developments on the global front.Cross-cultural projects and interfaith dialogue flourish at numerous levels in our community and in an increasing number of forums. My invitation on this occasion flowed from relationships developed through the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies’ Respect, Understanding, Acceptance program, which this year brought together a total of 2000 students from a broad range of ethnic and cultural traditions.The Board of Deputies devised a schools harmony program six years ago, involving 20 Muslim, 20 Christian and 20 Jewish students. The concept has grown exponentially and evolved into the current formula, which now includes  participants from across the spectrum of multicultural NSW, as well as Aboriginal, Cambodian, Sudanese and Bosnian Muslim speakers, and Holocaust survivors. Its raison d’etre: to engender respect for diversity and to promote the need to speak out against racism.  Overwhelmingly, the feedback is positive. Students express appreciation at the unprecedented opportunity to explore differences with counterparts from different backgrounds, surprise at the commonalities they encounter and growing awareness that the path on which they have embarked, albeit cautiously and tentatively, is one that is honourable, admirable and right.  Yet it’s not always that easy – or that positive. During the final program of 2010, a teacher from a school with a multicultural student body informed me that one of his students, pointing to Jewish counterparts, had commented: “These people are our enemies. Why are we here?”Thirty minutes later, the same student observed: “I’ve met my first Jew; he’s a cool guy.”The program proceeded harmoniously, with positive interactions among the 150 participants. However, 24 hours later, notices were posted on Facebook by students who had participated in the program or knew others who had, stating “Can I have your Jew gold?” and commenting sarcastically on the fact that a student had “made friends with a Jew – nice work, Ali”.After intervention by the Board of Deputies, the school authorities contacted the students and their families, instructed them to remove the offensive statements and apologised to the Jewish community. Further discussion with the relevant parties is under way.In an unrelated endeavour similarly designed to foster respectful dialogue, the Board of Deputies has become a founding partner of the Sydney Alliance – a diverse coalition of faith, community and union organisations which share a commitment to strengthening civil society and promoting a fairer society based on common values.In the same vein, we are planning an outreach Passover dinner with non-government organisations in recognition of the importance we attach to engaging meaningfully with that sector. It will emulate Passover events held with the trade union movement, education sector, local government and 250 representatives of 15 faith and cultural groups ranging from A to Z – Aboriginal to Zoroastrian and multiple identities in between.And last month we published <I>The Holocaust: The Nazi Genocide Against The Jewish People<P> and have distributed thousands of copies throughout the country with the objective of disseminating understanding of where racial hatred can lead. The point is simple yet profound. Self-evident, yet neglected by a significant percentage of our community. We need to be out there. Every one of us. Each member of our community – by default and by definition – is an ambassador for the Jewish community within whatever sectors we move, whether private or public, personal or professional.That is the reality. With the mandate of tikkun olam – healing the world – comes an obligation: to engage and to do so positively. It is the single most effective means of counteracting the noxious weed of racism generally and anti-Semitism specifically.It is probably safe to adduce that most racist remarks are based on ignorance. All too frequently they are laced with malice. Which again underscores the imperative to actively counter ignorance, dispel myths, generate respect for the other. Woody Allen said that 80 per cent of success lies in showing up. We need to show up and we need to engage.      Info:Vic Alhadeff is chief executive officer of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.