Diverse faiths unite for breakfast
REPRESENTATIVES from the Jewish community joined 23 other faiths for an interfaith breakfast last week at the Westin Sydney.
Around 200 people attended the breakfast, including a third of the NSW State Parliament from six different political parties and leaders from 24 different faiths.
The event was organised by Australian Catholic University (ACU) director of government, policy and strategy Julian Leeser, who also acted as emcee.
Leeser, who is Jewish, said the breakfast included a large number of people in the Jewish community.
“The breakfast was a tremendous initiative, a great opportunity for people from a range of different faiths to come together to acknowledge their similarities and join with politicians to pray for wise deliberations for our state in the coming year,” he said.
“Each of the different faiths present provided a prayer and we asked seven as a representative to say a prayer for the deliberation for our upcoming election.”
Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence presented a prayer on behalf of the Jewish community.
“The breakfast was addressed by incoming Australian Governor-General Major-General Peter Cosgrove, the previous chancellor of the university,” Leeser said.
“[We had] welcomes from the Deputy Premier, the Leader of the Opposition, and the vice-chancellor of ACU professor Greg Craven.”
He added: “ACU is a Catholic University and is open to people of all faiths and we have a number of Jewish students on all of our seven campuses.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Yair Miller, who attended the function, commented: “The event was a highly commendable initiative which emphasised the importance of every faith. It attracted a large number of ministers, shadow ministers and MPs, all of whom were there to endorse the fact that we are a country which celebrates and respects diversity.”
SOPHIE WEISZ
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Yair Miller (centre)
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