The ZFA, together with its partners listed below, welcomes the Executive Director of the Australia New Zealand Mental Health Association’s heartfelt and unreserved apology to Dr Moshe Farchi and the Australian Jewish community for the regrettable decision to rescind Dr Farchi’s invitation to the Frontline Mental Health Conference. Prof Philip Morris AM candidly acknowledged the error, labelling it as “wrong” and “a big mistake”.
The Australian Jewish community welcomed Prof Morris’s sincerity and apology, recognising the gravity of his remarks. Prof Morris conveyed his sentiments during a webinar hosted by the Zionist Federation of Australia, with over 500 members of the Jewish community registered to attend.
ZFA CEO Alon Cassuto said, “We welcome Prof Morris’s unequivocal apology. It is deeply worrying that the threat of violence would see any organisation give in to demands and cancel an expert professional and public intellectual of the calibre of Dr Farchi based on their identity and nationality.”
Mr Cassuto continued, “By setting the record straight, making clear the ANZMHA would reimburse Dr Farchi and, more importantly, announcing that Dr Farchi would be invited to address ANZMHA members in the future, Prof Morris has made clear not just his remorse, but a genuine desire to stop this incident from becoming a dangerous precedent that undermines Australian multicultural society.”
Zionist Federation of Australia
Executive Council of Australian Jewry
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council
Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism
Background
In early March, in the face of emails allegedly threatening violence, organisers of the Front Line Mental Health Conference on the Gold Coast disinvited Dr Moshe Farchi, an Israeli national, from speaking.
The ZFA statement about the incident is here.
ANZMHA Executive Director Philip Morris AM asked to address a webinar hosted by the ZFA last night. The webinar can be viewed here.
A transcript of Prof Morris’s remarks is here.
