STATEMENT - AUSTRALIAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION WILL OPPOSE THE PROPOSED INDIGENOUS VOICE The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) is publicly coming out in opposition to the proposed Indigenous voice. AJA President Dr David Adler said, “The Australian Jewish Association is the largest Jewish organisation in Australia as measured by social media following and community engagement. AJA originally raised concerns about the proposed Indigenous Voice in February after consultations with Indigenous leaders as well as strong negative feedback from members of the Jewish Community. As the debate has progressed, the arguments against the Voice have become clearer.
Some misguided prominent Jewish leaders have become strongly associated with pushing the Voice, so much so that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese chose to speak on the issue at a recent Jewish communal event. Since the Prime Minister’s, words connecting the Jewish community with the Voice, the Jewish community has suffered from elevated online abuse. From a Jewish perspective, there are several distinct concerns raised by the proposed Voice.
Race-based divisions contradict basic Judeo-Christian ideals of equality arising from all people being created in the image of God Jews well understand from bitter experience that the political creation of ethnic or racial divisions in a society is not a good thing. The creation of unique political rights or advantages for one ethnic or racial group will inevitably cause resentment and friction. Australia no longer has any laws which discriminate regarding political rights between its citizens based on race or ethnicity and it is retrograde to introduce such laws.
Many in the Jewish community are fearful of the introduction of race-based laws in Australia. Over history, including up to recent times, Jews have lived in societies where certain races had superior rights over others. There is not a single example where such division has been positive.
Lastly, AJA is increasingly concerned that some of the leading pro-Voice activists have expressed extremist views including hostility towards Israel. We saw this racism rear its ugly head in an anti-Israeli boycott at last year’s Sydney Festival. If these activists are appointed to the Voice, it is foreseeable that they will seek to promote their extremist views through the direct access they will be given to the parliament and executive government.”
