Communities commit to work together
VICTORIA’S Jewish and Islamic communities committed to work together on issues of mutual concern such as kosher and halal slaughter, after an executive dinner for leaders of the two groups last week.
VICTORIA’S Jewish and Islamic communities committed to work together on issues of mutual concern such as kosher and halal slaughter, after an executive dinner for leaders of the two groups last week.
Members of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) and the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) discussed future collaborations and joint activities to create harmony and understanding and engage youth in faith and community activities.
“The significance of the meeting for both communities cannot be underestimated; the feeling of friendship in the room was palpable as was the desire to dispel misconceptions about one another,” JCCV president John Searle said. “The funny thing is that when discussing our individual backgrounds, it became clear that there were far more similarities than differences.”
The meal capped off a busy time in multi-faith activities for the JCCV.
Recently, Searle became the first Jewish leader to visit the Consulate-General of Croatia in Melbourne, when he met with Croatian consul-general Antun Babic.
The meeting came following ongoing relations between the Jewish and Croatian communities in Victoria, including the attendance of the consul-general and his wife at the JCCV’s annual Yom Hashoah commemoration in April.
“I am delighted to now be able to include the Croatian community in our circle of friends,” Searle said. “The meetings I have had with Mr Babic to date have been exceedingly cordial and we are exploring ways to bring our two communities closer together.”
A joint community dinner between the two groups is planned for the future.
AJN STAFF
JCCV president John Searle (left) with his ICV counterpart Hyder Gulam.
comments