Aleph Melbourne

“Harry Elkus” and the Caulfield Synagogue anti-homosexuality protest

A document protesting a gay rabbi was being shared around the Melbourne Jewish community.
Intolerance of gay people is unacceptable.

Gay orthodox rabbi Steven Greenberg was billed as guest speaker at the Caulfield Hebrew Congregation on Friday June 16 2017:

Rabbi Steven Greenberg guest speaker at CHC

It came to our attention last week that a document “HERESY-CHC” was being distributed around the Melbourne Jewish community calling for concerned members of the Jewish community to protest this event:

Heresy pamphlet

The document contains the name “Harry Elkus” in the Author field of the document Properties:

Heresy document properties

It also came to our attention that some of the information in the flyer was apparently misleading:

FYI

(i just received this from a protest organiser)

==========================

Please send this out ASAP

To the Melbourne Jewish community,

Yesterday an email was disseminated to the community calling for a public protest outside Caulfield Shule during its upcoming event this Friday night.

Following consultation with leading communal Rabbonim we hereby inform the community that the planned protest has been cancelled. We discourage anyone from participating in any public protests as it will only serve to escalate the controversy surrounding the issue.

We also wish to clarify one aspect of the email distributed yesterday. Some in the community understood from the email that the (now cancelled) protest had the widespread support of the Rabbinate including, but not limited to, the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) and the Rabbinical Council of Australia and New Zealand (RCANZ). We wish to clarify that at no point were the RCV or the RCANZ consulted about the said protest. We apologise sincerely to both Rabbinic bodies for any implication otherwise.

We maintain our view that the event at Caulfield Shule should not be under the auspices of Orthodoxy but we recognize that public protests are counter-productive.

May Hashem help us in seeing Torah true Judaism upheld in our community.

It is deeply disappointing and disturbing that some members of the Jewish community wish to use their religion to demonise and further marginalise homosexual people. There is no room for discrimination or intolerance in the Jewish community.

Media Release: Aleph Melbourne documentary to screen at 2017 St Kilda Film Festival

MEDIA RELEASE
APRIL 26 2017

Aleph Melbourne is thrilled to announce our documentary “Aleph Melbourne – Celebrating 20 Years” will be screened in the prestigious 2017 St Kilda Film Festival.

A collaboration between Aleph Melbourne and YouthWorx Productions, the documentary is a culmination of over a year’s work and brings together 20 years of memorabilia, interviews and amazing outcomes.

The documentary will screen as part of the “Top 100 – 9” session on Sunday May 21 at 5:45pm. All film, session and booking information here:

https://www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au/program/session-9
https://www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au/film/aleph-melbourne-celebrating-20-years

Our documentary has already screened at the North Brisbane Film Festival (Jan 2017), the Respect Belfast Human Rights Film Festival (Mar 2017), the Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival (Mar 2017) and will screen at the My True Colors Festival in Brooklyn, NY (Jun 2017).

For more information contact:
Michael Barnett
0417-595-541
michael@aleph.org.au

The Multilingual Rainbow Community Service Announcement (CSA) Project

JOY 94.9 has produced a series of multilingual community service announcements for broadcast on their station and across Australia.

Aleph Melbourne is featured in a Hebrew-language announcement as part of this project.

All announcements are available here.

There’s a lot of Israeli at the 2017 MQFF

We present the Israeli sessions at the 2017 Melbourne Queer Film Festival.

You can view the full programme here.

Desire Will Set You Free | Fri 17 Mar 10:15 PM | 92 mins | Germany | 2016 | Yony Leyser
Ezra (director Yony Leyser), an Israeli-Palestinian writer sunk deep into Berlin’s artistic underground, has a passing fascination with Russian hustler, Sasha (Tim Fabian Hoffman), while his acerbic friend Catherine (Chloe Griffin) attempts to sex her way free of her straight-edged girlfriend (Amber Benson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Like the city that provides its intoxicating setting, Desire Will Set You Free is packed with influences (from Isherwood to Bowie) and is under the influence. Tick off your Berlin scenester cameos: look out for performances from Nina Hagen, Peaches, Sookee, Blixa Bargeld and beefcake-electro oddities Rummelsnuff. English and German/Arabic/Hebrew with English subtitles.

Seventeen year old Naama Barash enjoys alcohol, drugs and hanging out with her likeminded friends. When the suburban teen meets the cool, more experienced Dana they explore Tel Aviv’s nightlife and a hesitant relationship develops between them. Meanwhile Naama’s sister has gone missing from her post at a nearby military base, diverting her family’s attention away from the new developments in Naama’s life. Drawing favourable comparisons to Blue is the Warmest Colour, Barash is about the dizzy rush of first love, and an original, energetic drama that defies the stereotypes of life in Israel. Hebrew with English subtitles.

Who’s Gonna Love Me Now | Wed 22 Mar 6:15 PM | 85 mins | Israel | UK | 2016 | Tomer Heymann, Barak Heymann, Alexander Bodin Saphir
“Who’s gonna love me now?” These words, spoken by an ex lover, resonate with Saar, who is HIV positive. After being barred from his Israeli kibbutz years earlier, and with his Orthodox family still unable to accept his sexuality, Saar established a new life in London, where the London Gay Men’s Chorus have become an extended family. Featuring some stirring performances from the chorus, Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? is a deeply affecting, intimate portrait of a man trying to balance his yearning for home with his desire to live life on his own terms. English and Hebrew with English subtitles

Fake It | Sun 26 Mar 3:30 PM | 23 mins | Israel | 2015 | Tzurit Hartzion
Zohar needs more photographs for her exhibition and asks her ex, Ella, to recreate things that happened before the breakup so that she can photograph them. Is it real or are they, faking it. Hebrew with English subtitles.

Aleph celebrates 20 years in new documentary | AJN

North Brisbane Film Festival screens Aleph documentary

North Brisbane Film Festival – January 20 2017

Aleph documentary in official selection at 2017 Respect Belfast Human Rights Film Festival

Respect Belfast Human Rights Film Festival 2017

Aleph Melbourne is very proud that our documentary “Aleph Melbourne – Celebrating 20 Years” is amongst the official selection at the 2017 Respect Belfast Human Rights Film Festival .

The screening is listed on page 65 of the festival program.

Jewish submissions to the Select Committee on the Exposure Draft of the Marriage Amendment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill

Select Committee on the Exposure Draft of the Marriage Amendment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill

All submissions

6	Council of Progressive Rabbis and the Union for Progressive Judaism (PDF 2422 KB) [backup copy] 6.1 Supplementary to submission 6 (PDF 3073 KB) [backup copy]

128	Rabbinic Council of Australia and New Zealand (PDF 68 KB) [backup copy]

131	Rabbinical Council of NSW (PDF 131 KB) [backup copy]

133	Rabbinical Council of Australia and New Zealand (RCANZ) & Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) (PDF 33 KB) [backup copy]

Aleph Melbourne withdraws from tainted 2017 Midsumma Pride March

Regretfully Aleph Melbourne will not be participating in the 2017 Pride March due to Midsumma keeping News Corp Australia as a sponsor. This breaks an annual tradition going back to 1997.

While News Corp journalists like Andrew Bolt, Mirada Devine and Rita Panahi are on a crusade to destroy transgender kids, the Safe Schools program and marriage equality, it is completely unacceptable for any LGBTIQ community organisation to accept money or in-kind support from them.

Thirteen-year old Tyrone Unsworth might not have had cause to take his own life if News Corp had not fuelled the fires of bigotry and intolerance. If Midsumma want to partner with News Corp then it must accept responsibility for Tyrone’s tragic death.

“This is the second year that News Corp have been a supporter of Midsumma (Herald Sun logo was used last year).”
Midsumma (Nov 25 2016)

Sadly this is the second year that Midsumma have had News Corp as a sponsor. Aleph Melbourne would not have participated in 2016 if this had become apparent at the time.

Aleph Melbourne calls on Midsumma to hold News Corp to account for their words and actions, along with returning any cash sponsorship or in-kind support.

We have cancelled our registration in the 2017 Pride March due to @midsumma accepting @newscorpaus sponsorship. First absence since 1997.
— Aleph Melbourne (@alephmelbourne) November 25, 2016

Related media coverage

JOY 94.9FM – Nov 25 2016

6PM News

SameSame – Nov 25 2016
Community Upset At Midsumma’s News Corp Sponsorship

Herald-Sun – Nov 26 2016
Gay activist must apologise for this lie

SameSame – Nov 27 2016
OPINION: Enough, Everyone, Andrew Bolt Is No Transphobe

ADC presents “Making a Difference” award to Georgie Stone

Transgender teen becomes youngest, and first ever LGBTI person to receive prestigious ADC Making a Difference Award

November 15, 2016

16-year-old transgender teen Georgie Stone, who has campaigned for transgender rights and for greater tolerance, has become the youngest, and first, LGBTI person to win the prestigious Anti-Defamation Commission’s (ADC) Making a Difference Award given to individuals who through their actions champion social change, confront hatred, and empower others to create a more inclusive, respectful society.

Dr. Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC issued the following statement:

“Georgie is a remarkable young woman. Her courageous advocacy for the LGBTI community, and her unwavering, uplifting dedication to create a kinder and more tolerant Australia perfectly mirror our core mission of combatting discrimination and bigotry. She is a one-of-a-kind inspirational advocate for social change and a positive role model foryoung people to stand up to hatred and bullying. Her passionate voice reminds us that we all have a duty to bring greater awareness to the impact of bias, to advance equality and opportunity for all people and to build bridges of understanding.”

In accepting the award Georgie Stone said:

“It was an honour to receive the Making a Difference Award from the Anti-Defamation Commission. We have made so much progress in the fight for transgender rights, but there is still a long way to go. Our combined efforts will hopefully bring about the change in laws and acceptance that we need to progress as a society.”

The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading civil rights organization fighting racism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.

For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677.