Independent Australian Jewish Voices
Encyclopedia
Independent Australian Jewish Voices (IAJV) is an Australia
n Jewish advocacy organisation that opposes some of the current Israel
i government's policies. IAJV says that it condemns violence by both Palestinians and Israelis.
Independent Australian Jewish Voices was founded on 5 March 2007, following the emergence of similar groups in Britain (Independent Jewish Voices
) and Germany (Schalom 5767), as well as in the United States (Jewish Voice for Peace
), Canada (Independent Jewish Voices (Canada)) and Netherlands (Een Ander Joods Geluid
). Its statement of principles was published in various Australian newspapers with 120 signatories, including prominent Australian academics, writers and lawyers. Three weeks after the launch, the number of signatories had grown to 450.
In common with other such groups, IAJV is concerned about what it describes as the narrow range of opinion that is available in the mainstream media concerning Israel and Palestine and with the uncritical allegiance of the leadership of the organised Jewish community to Israeli government policy. Its founding statement criticised those who vilify Jewish critics of Israel by labeling them "self-hating" or disloyal.
, author and journalist Antony Loewenstein
, and academics and other public figures.
Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council
, described IAJV as "dangerous and unrepresentative" and said that "some of the individuals are clearly committed to the delegitimization of Israel." A 8 March 2007 editorial in the Australian Jewish News
characterised IAJV members as deserving “contempt”.
In response, IAJV said that "leaders in the Jewish community have not seen fit to repudiate such vilification, but on the contrary, have engaged in just such efforts to smear members of the group, while at the same time protesting that there is no attempt to suppress critical voices."
strongly disassociated themselves from the position taken by leaders of IAJV without consultation with those associated with the group's original statement.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Jewish advocacy organisation that opposes some of the current Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government's policies. IAJV says that it condemns violence by both Palestinians and Israelis.
Independent Australian Jewish Voices was founded on 5 March 2007, following the emergence of similar groups in Britain (Independent Jewish Voices
Independent Jewish Voices
For the Canadian group see Independent Jewish Voices . For the Australian group see Independent Australian Jewish Voices.Independent Jewish Voices is an organization launched on 5 February 2007 by 150 prominent British Jews such as Nobel laureate Harold Pinter, historian Eric Hobsbawm, lawyer Sir...
) and Germany (Schalom 5767), as well as in the United States (Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace is a United States Jewish organization which describes itself as "a diverse and democratic community of activists inspired by Jewish tradition to work together for peace, social justice, and human rights [to] support the aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians for security...
), Canada (Independent Jewish Voices (Canada)) and Netherlands (Een Ander Joods Geluid
Een Ander Joods Geluid
Een Ander Joods Geluid is a Dutch-Jewish organisation founded in May 2001 to promote the public debate concerning Israel...
). Its statement of principles was published in various Australian newspapers with 120 signatories, including prominent Australian academics, writers and lawyers. Three weeks after the launch, the number of signatories had grown to 450.
In common with other such groups, IAJV is concerned about what it describes as the narrow range of opinion that is available in the mainstream media concerning Israel and Palestine and with the uncritical allegiance of the leadership of the organised Jewish community to Israeli government policy. Its founding statement criticised those who vilify Jewish critics of Israel by labeling them "self-hating" or disloyal.
Signatories
Among the signatories to the group's declaration are philosopher Peter SingerPeter Singer
Peter Albert David Singer is an Australian philosopher who is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne...
, author and journalist Antony Loewenstein
Antony Loewenstein
Antony Loewenstein is an atheist Jewish-Australian political activist, freelance journalist, author and blogger who is based in Sydney.Loewenstein has written for The Guardian, Haaretz, The Washington Post, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Sydney's Sun-Herald, The Bulletin, ZNet, The Big...
, and academics and other public figures.
Launch
The launch of IAJV was followed by a great deal of media coverage under such headlines as “New group takes on Jewish lobby”.Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council
AIJAC
AIJAC, or the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, is an organisation headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It is active in lobbying the Australian government on issues of concern to Australian Jews and in monitoring and publicising events in Israel and the Middle East.The organisation...
, described IAJV as "dangerous and unrepresentative" and said that "some of the individuals are clearly committed to the delegitimization of Israel." A 8 March 2007 editorial in the Australian Jewish News
Australian Jewish News
Australian Jewish News is a Jewish newspaper in Australia which has been continuously printed since 1895. The weekly publication has been, for the most recent years of its existence, the nation's only print news publication aimed specifically at a Jewish readership and, from the start, assumed the...
characterised IAJV members as deserving “contempt”.
In response, IAJV said that "leaders in the Jewish community have not seen fit to repudiate such vilification, but on the contrary, have engaged in just such efforts to smear members of the group, while at the same time protesting that there is no attempt to suppress critical voices."
60th anniversary of Israeli independence
In March 2008 some of the original IAJV signatories signed a public statement saying that celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 1948 establishment of the State of Israel was a "celebration of the triumph of racism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians". Some people whose names were included in the advertisement said that they had not consented. According to IAJV, this problem involved only two of the 70 signatories. However, according to press coverage, including letters in the Australian Jewish News, members of organisations such as the Australian Jewish Democratic SocietyAustralian Jewish Democratic Society
The Australian Jewish Democratic Society , a secular organisation, was formed in Melbourne Australia in 1984 to promote free discussion and action on Jewish and general social and political issues. It grew out of a profound concern at the continuing Israeli-Arab conflict, though some of its...
strongly disassociated themselves from the position taken by leaders of IAJV without consultation with those associated with the group's original statement.