Future leaders unite
MULTICULTURALISM, diversity and difference were celebrated and explored at B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission’s (ADC) Multi-faith Future Leaders conference on Tuesday at the Beth Weizmann Community Centre.
MULTICULTURALISM, diversity and difference were celebrated and explored at B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission’s (ADC) Multi-faith Future Leaders conference on Tuesday at the Beth Weizmann Community Centre.
The all-day symposium brought together 13 hand-picked adults in their 20s and 30s from a variety of faiths and backgrounds, including Jews, Baha’is, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Indigenous Australians and atheists, to discuss their similarities and differences.
The annual conference offers a range of programs for personal and professional development in an effort to understand and appreciate each other’s religious and ethnic backgrounds.
The conference hopes to nurture harmony and respect within Victoria through public speaking seminars, discussion groups, networking opportunities and by giving each participant a chance to share their story.
ADC’s development and project manager Edna Lipson said the program aims to dispel ignorance and prepare future leaders of different communities to strive for equality and understanding in the wider community.
“We do these things like discussing commonalities in order for them to understand other religions,” Lipson told The AJN.
“The idea is that they will go into their faith communities and become leaders. We bring together like-minded people who have the same goal of creating a message of peace, of understanding, of tolerance and of respect. Even though we’re all different and come from different faiths and groups, we’re all the same and we’re all connected.”
ADC chairman Dvir Abramovich reflected on the goals behind the conference.
“Central to our endeavours is building coalitions to advance shared interests, strengthening religious dialogue and supporting pluralism. One of our principal avenues for realising this goal is the Multi-faith Future Leaders Program.”
He outlined the responsibility of the participants, “Graduates of the program become ambassadors and champions for the values and work of the ADC and go back to their respective communities with a better understanding of Judaism as well as deeply realising the importance of celebrating difference and speaking out against bigotry and anti-Semitism.”
ZOE KRON
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