Jeremy Jones on a Bali high
COMMUNITY stalwart Jeremy Jones provided a Jewish voice at the recent inaugural World Culture Forum (WCF) in Bali, which was established by the United Nations (UN) to foster inter-cultural understanding in the age of globalisation.
COMMUNITY stalwart Jeremy Jones provided a Jewish voice at the recent inaugural World Culture Forum (WCF) in Bali, which was established by the United Nations (UN) to foster inter-cultural understanding in the age of globalisation.
Jones spoke in front of an audience of more than 1000 delegates from more than 90 countries, including Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who opened the ceremony.
Jones, the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council’s director of international and community affairs, said he was “the only identifiably Jewish speaker” at WCF and that “many delegates had previously not had opportunities to speak directly to a Jewish person”.
“From a personal point of view it was encouraging to hear not only of the interest in Jews and Judaism but a widespread admiration for Jewish survival, commitment to education and willingness to dialogue,” Jones told The AJN.
“I had constructive conversations with officials and leaders from many societies on a slew of matters relating to Judaism and Israel.”
Jones said President Yudhoyono identified interfaith dialogue and understanding as “a key area for social cohesion” and spoke at a session dedicated to the topic.
“I discussed the progress on inter-religious dialogue in Australia, South-East Asia and Oceania,” Jones said. “I also explained Chanukah, which fell just before the conference, in which the Jewish people celebrate a successful fight for the right to practise Judaism.”
Keynote speaker CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria also praised Jewish culture and its people for the positive impact had on the wider community.
“Zakaria highlighted the number of Jewish Nobel prize laureates, arguing that commitment to education and promotion of creative thinking were at the heart of the major Jewish contributions to the world, and he received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the audience,” Jones said.
“The conference’s organisers did a wonderful job in ensuring all sessions provided maximum opportunities for information to be transmitted and full and frank discussions to take place, with a diverse selection of experts and well-moderated discussion periods.”
Hosted by the Indonesian Government under the patronage of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Jones said the WCF was the result of eight years of planning. It is planned that the WCF will be held every two to three years in Indonesia with delegates including government ministers, politicians, senior bureaucrats and cultural experts to encourage peace and cooperation between cultures.
ALEXANDRA ROACH
Jeremy Jones at the forum.
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