The Indigenous Friends of Israel International was set up in 2017 to stand with the Jewish people and assert that they are the Indigenous people of Israel. We are expressing the voice of Indigenous people internationally in education and advocacy for Israel. This includes a public education programme of monthly seminars, press releases, social media, articles, videos and newsletters. Non-Indigenous people are welcome to be members.
We live in a nation that has adopted western values based on Judeo-Christian ethics. However, we have a situation where people of different values have migrated here, or are the children of migrants, who have unAustralian values. Some have brought their antisemitism with them. We also have people here whose families have been born here for generations who have adopted cultural Marxist views or neo-Nazi views that are antisemitic and are detrimental to our social cohesion. Some of these have come through our universities. All have come through our schools. That is why we are focusing our antisemitism project on our schools and approaching it with a focus on respect, tolerance, compassion and empathy.
So, what are some teaching in our schools? There is a Teachers for Palestine group who are festering hatred of Jews in our schools and wearing keffiyehs. This is the tip of the iceberg and is intimidating to Jewish teachers and students not to mention what they might be teaching in the classroom.
We have recently returned from the relaunch of the Australia Israel Allies Caucus at Parliament House Canberra and we had some interest in our project from Andrew Wallace, Chair, Sarah Henderson, Shadow Education Minister, Dr Mike Kelly, cofounder Labour Friends of Israel and John Lockwood, Chair Israel Allies Foundation Australasia. We separately had a meeting with the German Embassy who were very supportive. We have had some zoom sessions with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry who are interested in the project.
Holocaust education is mandatory in the NSW and Victoria state curriculums in years 9 and 10 and is also included in the Australian curriculum. However, little time is given to it and even less time to antisemitism that might be incidentally mentioned. Antisemitism education in schools needs to be a mandatory part of the national curriculum.
Courage to Care has had a successful anti-bullying programme using the stories of Holocaust survivors for many years. Jewish educators Jill and Eli Rabinowitz of the We Are Here! Foundation in Perth have successfully used the In My Pocket booklet in schools in WA etc. to teach kindness and compassion. It is a children’s story of a survivor of the Kindertransport when 10,000 Jewish children from Nazi Europe were saved from the Holocaust by relocating them to Britain.
Since the horrific events of 7 October and the tsunami of antisemitism in Australia, there have been several calls for antisemitism education. Indigenous Friends of Israel International has been early off the mark to establish just that and will cover Grades 1 to 10 initially.
Grades 1 and 2 and Grades 5 and 6 are based on the In My Pocket resource transforming it into antisemitism showcase modules. Grades 3 and 4 are based on the story of Australian Aborigines, led by William Cooper, who marched to the German Consulate in Melbourne in 1938 “protesting the cruel persecution of the Jews” at Kristallnacht, the start of the Holocaust. I have co- authored with our expert curriculum writer, Shoshana Linnane, a children’s book on William Cooper to use with a focus on antisemitism.
Shoshana is our experienced curriculum writer and is a childhood education expert doing an amazing job as a volunteer on this project as are all our team. Our next step is to get education authorities on board, have pilot schools test the Grades 1 to 6 material and secure some funding to print materials etc.
There are explicit links throughout made to the Australian national curriculum for schools to feel confident about using the material which is also based on sound research.
We need to be explicit that antisemitism is hatred against the Jewish people and against the nation of Israel and yes it can be developmentally appropriate for young children.
We also need to make a distinction between anti-racism and antisemitism as they are two very different things and Shoshana’s look at research overseas showed that schools tended to go down the track of anti-racism as that was easier because then it was inclusive and did not risk upsetting any particular people group.
Teacher education is an issue according to research as it has focused on anti-racism, so teachers are not equipped to deal with antisemitism. We will provide teachers with the resources they need to feel confident in teaching about antisemitism as it may challenge some of their pre-conceived ideas as well.
You can help by getting the word out, praying, providing funding, finding teachers and schools who may be interested in piloting the programme,
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