Category: Jewish

MR: Attacks on LGBTIQA+ community parallel antisemitic attacks 

Media Release

Tuesday January 13th 2025

LGBTIQA+ Jewish group call for broader protections in proposed anti-hate bill

Attacks on LGBTIQA+ Community Parallel Antisemitic Attacks 

An Australian Jewish LGBTIQA+ group wants the Federal Government to prohibit hate speech against LGBTIQA+ people as well as the Jewish community.

Aleph Melbourne spokesperson, Michael Barnett, said 

“It makes no sense to us that half our identity is protected from hate and the other half isn’t.”

“The same ideology is being used to drive attacks on both the LGBTIQA+ and Jewish communities. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists want to eradicate gay and trans people as much as they want to eradicate Jews.” 

“This is one reason why the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has in recent years backed greater protections for LGBTIQA+ people.”

“We call on the government to treat anti-LGBTIQA+ hate as seriously as antisemitic hate. There is no room for either in Australia.”

The Government today released a bill responding to the Bondi tragedy by prohibiting vilification and hate-motivated crime on the basis of race, but no other attributes.

Spokesperson for Just.Equal Australia, Rodney Croome, said,

“Passing laws against only one kind of hate means other forms are seen as legitimate and less deserving of a response.” 

“One important lesson from the Bondi tragedy is that the Government shouldn’t wait until attacks escalate before taking tough action against hate.” 

“National hate speech and hate crime laws should cover LGBTIQA+ people as well as all other Australians vulnerable to hate.” 

“The Prime Minister has said ‘more could have been done’ to prevent the Bondi attack, so let’s now do more, not less.”

There has been an alarming increase in the number of anti-LGBTIQA+ attacks in recent years, often overlapping with antisemitism: 

2020: Melbourne golf course defaced by homophobic and antisemitic graffiti 

http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/melbourne-golf-club-vandalised-with-anti-semitic-homophobic-graffiti/195492

2021: Fresh concrete path in Melbourne defaced with “Kill Gays” and swastikas

http://www.outinperth.com/alarm-as-anti-gay-messages-and-nazi-graffiti-found-in-melbourne/

2021: Transgender flags outside Hobart Town Hall vandalised

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-23/transgender-flags-vandalised-at-hobart-town-hall/100643254

2023: A right wing mob violently attacked a group of LGBTIQA+ protesters holding a peaceful vigil in Belfield (NSW). Riot Squad responded. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-22/two-charged-after-protest-outside-mark-latham-speech/102127830

2023: A group of men shut down a “Wear It Purple” LGBTIQA+ information stall at Bankstown Central Shopping Centre (NSW), ripping down rainbow flags, spitting and hurling abuse.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hate-crime-safety-concerns-after-sydney-s-latest-anti-lgbtq-attack-20230831-p5e0wf.html 

2023: Neo-Nazis endorsed, and gave the Nazi salute at, a Melbourne protest and rally against people who are transgender, drawing an association between racial purity and gender purity. 

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/nazi-salutes-performed-on-steps-of-victorian-parliament-as-protesters-clash-over-transgender-rights/yr7gzkevn

2023: Anti-LGBTIQA+ hardliners threaten violence against Monash library and force closure of drag storytime event

http://www.outinperth.com/monash-council-cancels-drag-storytime-event-following-violent-threats

2023: Neo-Nazis target Jewish drag queen in Melbourne

http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/national-news/victoria-news/drag-performers-are-at-the-receiving-end-of-alt-right-attacks-in-melbourne/223642

2024: Cumberland City Council (NSW) banned books on same-sex parenting from its municipal library citing the “religious views” of the community. The ban was overturned 15 days later, but not until a significant venting of anti-LGBTIQA+ hate speech. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Cumberland_book_ban

2024: anti-LGBTIQA+ groups in Albany (WA) tore down Pride Festival posters and flags, called for LGBTIQA+ books to be banned from the library, harassed librarians and claimed an association between the LGBTIQA+ community and paedophiles. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-25/albany-council-rejects-calls-to-ban-sex-education-books/104388258

2025: Melbourne gay venues Laird Hotel and Eagle Leather defaced with the same white supremacist slogans on the same night Jewish venues were targeted.

https://qnews.com.au/gay-bar-laird-hotel-graffitied-with-homophobic-vandalism

2025: Five teenage boys were gaoled in Western Australia for “planned and premediated” attacks on gay men, with one man punched, tasered and threatened with drowning.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-23/teenagers-detention-grindr-attacks-men-perth/105807670

2025: Pride flags torn down in Launceston

https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/pride-flags-in-tasmania-vandalised-as-pride-month-commences/237057

2025: Gay men targeted by violent gangs in Melbourne and other cities

http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/law-crime/2025/07/19/apps-used-baiting-tools-homophobic-attacks

2025: Transgender memorial in Hobart repeatedly vandalised and painted with Nazi symbol

https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/tasmanian-memorial-for-transgender-woman-marjorie-harwood-vandalised-again/235912

The ‘Private Lives 3’ study conducted by La Trobe University in 2020/21, which surveyed almost 7,000 LGBTIQA+ Australians found: 

Click to access Private-Lives-3.pdf

35% had experienced verbal abuse, including hateful phone calls 

24% had experienced being spat at and offensive gestures 

22% had experienced written threats of abuse via emails, social media 

15% had experienced threats of physical violence, physical attack or assault without a weapon 

11% had received written threats of abuse 

4% had deliberate damage to property or vandalism of a house 

For a copy of this statement on the web, click here

For more information contact Michael Barnett, co-convenor, Aleph Melbourne, 0417 595 541, or Rodney Croome, Just.Equal Australia, 0409 010 668 

20260111-Attacks-On-Queer-Community-Parallel-Antisemitic-Attacks

[PDF]

Advocates say proposed hate speech laws exclude vulnerable communities

https://qnews.com.au/a-hierarchy-of-harm-labors-hate-speech-laws-exclude-lgbtqia-australians

Queer Sessions @ JIFF 2025


Jewish International Film Festival 2025
October 19 – November 26, 2025

Full programme here.

The Jewish International Film Festival returns to cinema screens from October 19 – November 26, highlighting a selection of the best new Jewish-themed films to Australian audiences. 

JIFF kicks off with the hilarious and fast-paced comedy, Bad Shabbos, about a Shabbat dinner between future in-laws, meeting for the first time, where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Celebrate the opening of JIFF on Sunday October 19 at Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick, with live music, drinks and falafels from 3:00pm before the Australian Premiere of Bad Shabbos. 

Tickets now on sale: https://www.jiff.com.au/events/opening-night-bad-shabbos

The Queer Sessions

The Ring 

“It’s the relationships among the three leads that carry the movie forward.” – The Jerusalem Post

“A highly emotional film. Exciting, funny and above all, a fascinating life story.” – Letterboxd user

Australian Premiere

Arnon is a devoutly religious man who has a close bond with his mother, Violetta, but a fraught relationship with his daughter, Alma, since he doesn’t approve that she’s a lesbian. When Violetta’s health deteriorates, Arnon sets out to her old hometown of Budapest to try and find a gold ring that saved her life during World War II.

Despite the tension between father and daughter, Arnon asks Alma to join him and help with the search. Alma is initially resistant, but her closeness with her grandmother convinces her to concede. Can father and daughter find the ring in the bustling city of Budapest? And will they be able to repair their relationship along the way?

The Ring is based on co-director and lead actor Adir Miller’s own family story. A well-known stand-up comedian in Israel, Miller brings a delicate balance of comedy and tragedy to this role.

The Ring

Pink Lady

“An excellent movie that tells a complex, moving story… The cast is wonderful.” – The Jerusalem Post

“A very urgent film.” – Cineuropa

“A story of female self-discovery and emancipation.” – Eye for Film

Australian Premiere

To others in her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem, Bati’s life looks ideal. She’s married to Lazer and together, they have three beautiful children. Behind closed doors, however, the young couple’s marriage is strained, and their lives are rocked when Lazer is blackmailed with photos capturing his secret affair with another man. Desperate to protect her family from scandal, Bati tries everything to seduce her husband back to their marital bed. But in her struggles with this crisis, Bati makes some surprising discoveries about her own sexuality and desires.

Nir Bergman (co-creator of the series In Treatment) won the Best Directing prize for Pink Lady at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival where it had its world premiere. Screenwriter Mindi Ehrlich brings lived experience from her upbringing in a Haredi community, telling this nuanced and compassionate story from a woman’s perspective with moments of lightness softening the drama.

Pink Lady

Come Closer

“A sexy, modern and uncommonly introspective debut.” – Variety 

“One of the most beautiful and visceral portrayals of grief and the ways we try to make peace with loss.” – Loud and Clear

Australian Premiere*

When Eden’s beloved younger brother Nati dies suddenly, she’s completely shattered by grief. Although she tries to numb the pain with hard partying and a dead-end affair with her married boss, nothing helps. Until she discovers a love note to Nati from Maya, a girlfriend he’d kept secret from her.  

Eden strikes up a friendship with Maya. As the two young women lean on each other in their heartache, their relationship morphs into something altogether new and unexpected, even romantic. Eden and Maya must navigate their complex connection – is this a healthy way of coping, or simply a convenient replacement for Nati? 

Writer/director Tom Nesher, daughter of multi award-winning Israeli director Avi Nesher, based the story on her own experience of her brother’s tragic death. An exuberant, sensitive exploration of love, loss and obsession, Come Closer swept the Israeli Oscars in 2024, winning Best Film, Director, Lead Actress and Editing.

*Excluding Sydney

Come Closer

The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival 

“Groundbreaking… Visually stunning.” – The Bay Area Reporter

“Essential viewing for anyone who cares about art.” – The Contending

Australian Premiere

This sweeping documentary tells the remarkable story of Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka, best known for her Art Deco paintings of sensual nudes and elegant portraits of high society in 1920s Paris. A Jewish refugee and a bisexual woman, she was marginalised in more ways than one and gained notoriety for having romantic liaisons with her models – both men and women. Still, her work endures and some of her most notable collectors today include Madonna (who featured her paintings in several music videos) and Barbra Streisand.

Using groundbreaking newly discovered birth and baptism certificates, and never-before-seen 8mm home movies, this fascinating documentary reveals previously hidden parts of Tamara de Lempicka’s history, considering her work through the lens of her Jewish heritage. Narrated by Anjelica Huston, this is an enthralling celebration of a singular artist, who demonstrated fierce resilience in the face of antisemitism and other prejudices.

Jillian Segal and Advance

On July 12 and 13 The Klaxon broke news that John Roth, the husband of Australia’s Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal, donated $50,000 to Advance:

In the July 18 2025 ECAJ Weekly Update Daniel Aghion wrote the following of Jillian Segal:

This past week, we have seen a smear campaign attacking the Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism, soon after its launch last week.  

This concerted campaign has focused on just a couple of details in a wide-ranging programme of 49 key actions in 13 focus areas, and (most outrageously) attacked the Antisemitism Envoy herself personally, for her husband’s private political activity.  

I am not going to discuss the personal attacks on the Antisemitism Envoy herself – other than to say it is the lowest form of smear tactics – because they are irrelevant to the merits of her plan.  

Amongst the range of marginalised groups that Advance copiously hates on are LGBTIQA+ people. With pathological obsession, they have posted multitudes of negative articles over many years demonising us.

Hearing that Australia’s Antisemitism Envoy is unprepared to call out such bigotry is beyond comprehension. She would realise homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are as insidious as antisemitism. It beggars belief that a person appointed by the government to combat hate and intolerance does not know what all forms of hate and intolerance look like.

Australian Jewish News – July 25 2025 – Page 18 – Letters
Unforgivable
THE Friday after news broke that
Jillian Segal's husband's family
trust donated $50,000 to the far
right lobby group Advance, ECAJ
president Daniel Aghion claimed
criticism levelled at her for her hus-
band's donation was "outrageous"
and a "smear tactic"
It's not without precedent that
public figures have been called out
for their spouse's actions, such as
when Senator James Paterson held
Monique Ryan accountable for her
husband's removal of a sign in the
recent federal election. Rightly or
wrongly, Ryan took the fall for her
husband's indiscretion and apol-
ogised.
The nature of the role of the
antisemitism envoy is to combat
racism and hatred. For that person
to remain silent on a significant
donation by her spouse to an outfit
that has racism and hate in its DNA
beggars belief, and to my thinking
amounts to tacit endorsement. She
does not need to apologise for her
husband, but to remain silent on
who he donated to is unforgivable.
Michael Barnett
Ashwood, Vic

Australian Jewish News – August 1 2025 – Page 17 – Letters
Defending Advance
MICHAEL Barnett (A/N 25/07)
fulminates about antisemitism
envoy Jillian Segal's husband
making a donation to Advance
Australia. Advance is anything but
a "far right lobby group". The
Jewish community has much to be
thankful for to Advance. For start-
ers they were instrumental in pre
venting the virulently antisemitic
Greens from achieving a danger-
ous foothold in the last election.
As for Barnett's claim that
Advance is filled with "racism
and hate", he would be good
to remember that the work of
Advance in helping to defeat the
Voice referendum saved Australia
from a dangerously racially divi
sive situation from evolving. Any
organisation, like Advance, which
espouses conservative ideals and
fights against the destruction of
the values of Western civilisation is
labelled by Barnett and those of his
ilk as "far-right" by default.
The Jewish community has
come to realise in recent times that
the left are not our friends, but in
Barnett's case the message seems
to be taking somewhat longer to
sink in.
Robert Weil
Highett, Vic

Not the same
IT is not helpful when progressive
activists such as Michael Barnett
spout reflexive hysterical hyperbole
for political gain rather than care-
fully analysing a situation
His comparison of Jillian Segal's
husband's donation to lobby
group Advance with the actions
of Monique Ryan's husband is
just wild fantasy. Any student of
critical thinking could easily see
that Segal's husband John Roth
donated the money in his own
right, and which had nothing to
do with his wife's work.
On the other hand, the removal
of promotional signs by Monique
Ryan's husband was active inter.
ference on behalf of her campaign
with the express purpose of giving
her an electoral advantage
Alan Freedman
St Kilda East. Vic

August 8 2025: The Klaxon reveals Jillian Segal is never too far away from her husband’s donations: EXCLUSIVE: Segal’s “husband” donation claims a sham

In the face of hate, I’m embracing my gay Jewish identity | The Jewish Independent

A few thoughts about recent parallel homophobic and antisemitic attacks in Melbourne, and how queer activism in the Jewish community over the past few decades has been transformational.

In the face of hate, I’m embracing my gay Jewish identity | The Jewish Independent

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-jewish-independent_antisemitism-lgbtq-pride-activity-7358680297502093314-VUWv

2025 Scandinavian Film Festival: The Queer & Jewish sessions

The 2025 Scandinavian Film Festival is running through July and August.

This year’s packed programme includes one Jewish and one queer film, details below.

Never Alone

From celebrated director Klaus Härö (The Fencer, One Last Deal, My Sailor, My Love) comes a powerful true story of resilience and defiance, based on real events during World War II and adapted from Rony Smolar’s book, Uncle Stiller. Ville Virtanen (Bordertown) delivers a standout performance as businessman Abraham Stiller, a pillar of Helsinki’s Jewish community who did everything in his power to help the Jewish refugees.

Helsinki, 1942. The state of Finland has made an alliance with Nazi Germany. Only one man is trying to stop the Finnish security services which were operating in secrecy, turning over Jewish refugees into the hands of Gestapo. As Nazi influence grows, Stiller finds himself torn between his personal life and his politics, and must risk everything to protect his community.

A moving drama that shines a light on the plight of Jewish refugees in Finland during WWII, Never Alone showcases the inspiring humanitarian efforts of a man who risked everything to protect them, in a gripping story of courage, and the fight for hope amidst overwhelming adversity.

Odd Fish

Directed and co-written by Snævar Sölvason (From Iceland to Eden), Odd Fish is a heartwarming tale of dreams, identity and acceptance, set in a small community in the picturesque Westfjords of Iceland.

During the summer, childhood friends Hjalti (Björn Jörundur, Trapped) and Björn (newcomer Arna Magnea Danks), run a seafood restaurant in the fishing village in which they were born and raised. Despite their vastly different personalities, the two have a successful business partnership, and their restaurant is popular. They have long dreamed of keeping the restaurant open all year round, and when an unexpected opportunity arises, they finally get the chance to do so.

But, when Björn suddenly reveals a long-held secret to Hjalti, their long-standing friendship is tested and prejudices come to light. Faced with changes that reveal new perspectives on life and identity, the two of them must each re-evaluate what matters most.

An endearing story imbued with warm humour, Odd Fish is a tender reflection on the power of friendship.

Young Jewish Queers launched | AJN

Pride Across Cultures

Young Jewish Queers launched

“YJQ is a place for queer Jewish teens to meet each other and to see that there are other people like them.”

By Sharyn Kolieb

July 14, 2025, 3:06 pm

The Jews of Pride stall at the Pride Across Cultures event on June 25.  Photo: Michael Barnett.

During the pride month of June, a broad range of cultural and faith groups from Melbourne’s LGBTIQA+ community came together at the Collingwood Town Hall for the inaugural Thorne Harbour Health “Pride Across Cultures” event on June 25.

Amongst the dozen stalls were Jewish groups Aleph Melbourne and Jewmos, and newly formed group Young Jewish Queers for Jewish queer teenagers aged 13 to 18.

Michael Barnett of Aleph Melbourne said that amongst those who came to their stall were recent arrivals to Melbourne’s Jewish community from Israel and from interstate. Others came to share their support for the Jewish community in these challenging times including Matt Mackenzie from the Department of Home Affairs and Victoria Police LGBTIQA+ liaison coordinator Jeremy Oliver.

Barnett told The AJN that Mackenzie has been working closely with the Jewish community to understand their safety needs post-October 7, and Oliver has been instrumental in providing protection for the Jewish contingent at the Midsumma Pride March and at the Pride Across Cultures event.

Jarod Rhine-Davis of Jewmos delivered a presentation in the breakout room on the events being organised for this year including a queer Shabbat dinner to be hosted at Temple Beth Israel on August 15.

Freshly showcased on the night was Young Jewish Queers Melbourne (YJQ) formed to create a safe space for Jewish queer teenagers, who recently hosted a film night. Speaking to The AJN about starting YJQ, Nick Wainstein said, “The reason why I started YJQ is so that I could build a community and a space where I don’t feel the need or pressure to hide my identity. Whether that be being queer or Jewish.

“Having the experience of that constant feeling of not being fully accepted or being safe in either of the communities that you’re a part of is really isolating. And so that’s where YJQ comes in.”

Wainstein added, “YJQ is a place for queer Jewish teens to meet each other and to see that there are other people like them. This is a space where they don’t have to choose between being a queer person or being Jewish.”

To get involved in YJQ email: info@yjqmelbourne.com

To book the shabbat dinner at TBI visit tbi.shulcloud.com/event/queer-dinner

SMH | Antisemitism envoy distances herself from husband’s donation to right-wing lobby group

[Aleph Melbourne notes that Advance Australia actively campaigns against progressive causes including LGBTIQA+ issues]

Antisemitism envoy distances herself from husband’s donation to right-wing lobby group

Olivia Ireland

By Olivia Ireland

July 13, 2025 — 5.00pm

Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal has distanced herself from donations by her husband’s family trust to controversial conservative lobby group Advance Australia days after she released recommendations on how the government needs to respond to rising hate towards Jewish people.

Australian Electoral Commission donation records lodged by a company Segal’s husband John Roth is a director of show that the Roth family trust, Henroth, gave $50,000 to Advance in 2023-24.

Advance Australia has previously said a vote for Labor is endorsed by the Chinese Community Party, that teal candidates are hidden Green politicians and accused left-leaning politicians of being “mostly on the same side as Hamas”.

Jillian Segal and John Roth.Credit:Facebook

Segal’s role as envoy is to fight antisemitism and enhance social cohesion, and she has asked for endorsement of her report on combating antisemitism. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explicitly said he did not want the report to be politicised.

In a statement, Segal said she had no influence on the donations made by Roth’s trust. “No one would tolerate or accept my husband dictating my politics, and I certainly won’t dictate his. I have had no involvement in his donations, nor will I,” she said.

ASIC documents show Henroth Investments Pty Ltd is co-directed by Stanley and John Roth. AEC donation records state the company lodged its donation return on behalf of Henroth Discretionary Trust.

The company has also previously given money to the Liberal Party. Henroth was named after their father Henry Roth, who was a successful property developer.

The brothers own gelato chain Gelatissimo which has stores across Australia and globally in the Philippines, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the US.

The donation was first reported by Guardian Australia and The Klaxon.

There is no suggestion Segal was aware of a donation or that it has affected her work.

Segal was previously a prominent lawyer and eventually partner for what was then called Allen, Allen and Hemsley before leaving to become a commissioner and later deputy chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday.Credit:Dylan Coker

She has also served on boards for the Australian Securities Exchange, the National Bank of Australia, served on the council of the Australian War Memorial and was deputy chancellor of the University of NSW.

Segal also is the immediate past president of the Executive Council of the Australian Jewry.

Lobby group Advance Australia prominently campaigned against the 2023 Voice Referendum and during the 2022 and 2025 elections shared various banners and ads against the Greens, teal independents and Labor.

Trucks were seen across the country in 2022 with slogans comparing the Australian Labor Party to the Chinese Community Party, with an image of Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and a caption stating: “CCP says vote Labor”.

The lobby group in late 2024 also released a petition, which remains on its website, calling for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stand up to pro-Palestine activists.

“[Pro-Palestine activists] have the full backing of the elites – the Labor/Green/Teal politicians, the media, the universities and the taxpayer funded bureaucrats and nonprofits are now mostly on the same side as Hamas,” the petition said.

Advance Australia has been contacted for comment.

On Thursday, Segal released her antisemitism report beside Albanese who said the government would consider all recommendations.

The report has sparked wide-ranging debate as it includes recommendations to rate universities on how they have cracked down on anti-Jewish hate and stripping funding from educational institutions, cultural events and charities that fail to address antisemitism.

A controversial definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association was also recommended to be adopted by all Australian institutions.

The definition has been embraced by Jewish groups and some parts of the Australian government for its clarity and breadth, but attacked by critics, who argue it stifles free speech and conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

Olivia Ireland

Olivia Ireland is a federal politics reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, reporting on political breaking news and workplace relations from Parliament House in Canberra.Connect via Twitter or email.

The Queer sessions at Limmud Oz Melbourne 2025

How kosher is homosexuality? How Queer is the Torah? Being both gay and straight. The struggle religious schools face with queer students. All this and more at Limmud Oz 2025.

Melbourne hosts Limmud Oz from June 7-9 2025.

This year’s packed programme includes four queer-themed sessions, as detailed here.

Sunday June 8 • 12:00pm – 1:00pm • Idan Dorshav Dershowitz

What does the Bible say about Homosexuality?

The “abomination” passage in Leviticus 18 and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 are the two main biblical texts that come to mind when thinking about biblical attitudes toward homosexuality. We will explore the history of how these two passages have been interpreted, beginning already in the biblical period itself.

Sunday June 8 • 5:15pm – 6:15pm • Shoshana Gottlieb

70 faces: reading queerness into Torah study

Discover a new and exciting face of Torah! In this session, we will learn some Torah together (all levels welcome), and seek to understand how and where queerness can be seen within the text. How can our understanding of the stories, our traditions, and ourselves be made more meaningful?

Monday June 9 • 1:15pm – 2:15pm • Ari Jacob

The Jewish married life of a straight, religious homosexual

This is a session on Jewish continuity. But it’s not old-school. It’s a musical(ish) performance about how God made me gay, but Torah (sort of) made me straight (sort of). Not in a homophobic way. It’s about love, intimacy, and how I went from the Closet to the Chuppah. Not in a hippie way. Really, it’s a Kabbalistic journey through the divine masculine and feminine, and finding wholeness in contradiction. Or something like that.

Monday June 9 • 4pm – 5pm • Jacquie Seemann Charak

Schools, religion and the law: an unholy alliance

What is the state of ‘religious freedom’ in Australian schools? For example, may Jewish schools exclude non-Jewish students/staff? May an Anglican school force a Jewish student to attend chapel? How do religious schools deal with sexuality and dress codes? Religious schools juggle complicated questions – trying to avoid unlawful discrimination while also transmitting religious identity. We’ll explore what Australian Jewish schools can/can’t do compared to some other countries, and what the Religious Freedom Review (2018) had to say about these issues. We’ll also look at some examples of allegations of antisemitism in Australian schools, and what has happened to them.

Congratulations Josh & Monique, and thank you Zoe

Aleph Melbourne congratulates Monique Ryan and Josh Burns on retaining their seats of Kooyong and Macnamara in the 2025 Federal Election. They are strong advocates for LGBTIQA+ people and the Jewish community.

We are especially grateful to Monique and Josh for taking the time to write heartfelt and considered statements of support during the election campaign.

Aleph Melbourne is appreciative of the other candidates who supplied statements of support for LGBTIQA+ people: Kath Davies (Independent/Chisholm), Alana Gallie-McRostie (Greens/Goldstein), Zoe Daniels (Independent/Goldstein), and Sonya Semmens (Greens/Macnamara).

A special thank you goes to outgoing MP Zoe Daniel who has consistently been a friend and ally of LGBTIQA+ Jews, and whose commitment to equality and decency remains without question.

Aleph Melbourne launches 2025 Australian Federal Election Voters Guide for LGBTIQA+ Equality

MEDIA RELEASE
20 April 2025

ALEPH MELBOURNE LAUNCHES 2025 AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL ELECTION VOTERS GUIDE FOR LGBTIQA+ EQUALITY

Aleph Melbourne is proud to announce its 2025 Australian Federal Election Voters Guide for LGBTIQA+ Equality. 

The Voters Guide is designed to inform voters in Melbourne’s predominantly Jewish suburbs who want to select candidates who have comprehensively demonstrated or pledged support for LGBTIQA+ equality and inclusion.

This election the guide covers Victorian electoral divisions (as per October 2024 electoral boundaries) with 1000 or more people with Jewish religious affiliation as at the 2021 census. The selected divisions are Chisholm*, Goldstein, Hotham, Isaacs, Kooyong, Macnamara and Melbourne*.

* Included due to the abolition and redistribution of the division of Higgins.

LINKS

KEY FEATURES

  • Individual candidate statements indicating commitment to LGBTIQA+ issues
  • Indicators advising whether a candidate is LGBTIQA+, an ally, or opposed to LGBTIQA+ equality
  • Indicators advising whether a candidate is Jewish, or is perceived to hold antisemitic views
  • Links to candidate/party platform/policies on LGBTIQA+ issues
  • Links to How To Vote cards

We encourage voters to locate their voting district, review their candidates’ levels of support for LGBTIQA+ issues and vote in a manner that prioritises LGBTIQA+ equality.

The guide will be continually updated as more candidate information comes in, or as developments on candidates arise.

HISTORY

This guide is the eighth in our series of election guides since 2013:

MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Barnett OAM
0417-595-541
contact@aleph.org.au

ENDS