Sharing our pain, experiences and togetherness
Sharni Briner, 12 July 2024, Australian Jewish News
https://www.australianjewishnews.com/sharing-our-pain-experiences-and-togetherness/
The Diaspora and Israel are still co-dependent on the other’s survival and flourishing.
What is Jewish solidarity in 2024? This question cannot be considered without acknowledging two sides of the coin that make up the modern Jewish identity – Israel and the Jewish Diaspora. Diller Teen Fellows – run in partnership with the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) –are experts in understanding and uniting these two groups.
The 1897 first Zionist congress was centred around the idea of every Jew moving to a newly established homeland in the area of modern Israel. However, soon after Israel’s establishment, the importance of the Diaspora – as a source for political support, representation and fundraising – was realised.
Fast forward to today, and not much has changed – the Diaspora and Israel are still co-dependent on the other’s survival and flourishing. No longer are we just funding Israel, and no longer is Israel just providing us with a backup plan (and an additional element to our cultural sense of self) but through globalisation and the rise of social media and accessible instant news, we’ve seen a strong interconnectedness emerge.
Without strong advocacy in the Diaspora, Israel directly feels the impact, politically, economically and socially. At the same time, we’ve seen Israel’s actions directly affect Diaspora Jews’ perceived safety, security and emotional wellbeing. So how do we as a community create a supportive Diaspora community and ensure our Israeli counterparts know that we can offer more than just blue boxes?
I recently had the privilege of bringing to life one of the most unique parts of the Diller Teen Fellows program, the Jewish Community Mifgash (JCM). This event sees Diller Melbourne’s partnership community from the Golan bring a delegation of 22 teens here for a weeklong immersion experience into the Australian Jewish community. Billeted at the Australian fellows’ houses and with a range of communal leaders and organisations addressing the groups, the fellows put together themselves the importance of having each other’s backs and supporting Israel.
The Golan group was in Australia on the day Iran attacked Israel, and for many of the Melbourne fellows, supporting their partners closely during these terrifying times and seeing the Israeli resilience in person was inspiring. When reflecting on this experience, Australian fellow Mitty Paluch shared, “My billet has been through a lot, and even though it was especially hard as she was far away from home, she didn’t let worry overtake her as she was confident Israel would have things under control. Being with her during this gave me just a glimpse of what it’s like to live as an Israeli teen.”
For me, it was an important reminder in not only investing in the Australian community to experience Israel and the wonderful balagan that it boasts, but also the importance of showing Israelis the power of the Diaspora and the work that we do to support them.
When wandering down Glen Huntly Road in the heart of Jewish Melbourne with the groups, every Israeli flag in the kosher restaurants and two-dollar stores surprised them. They were shocked at the open advocacy. When visiting Melbourne Jewish school Leibler Yavneh College they were so impressed and surprised that Australian Jewish schools spoke proudly of their students making aliyah. When entering Melbourne’s Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre they were so comforted by Habayit’s installation of Shoshke’s beautiful post-October 7th artwork.
These small things, which we sometimes take for granted or fail to notice, are all signs of our community’s strong commitment to supporting Israel and being active advocates from across the globe.
Ziv, a Golan fellow, reflected, “I didn’t realise you could still be such a strong Zionist in Australia … it means so much to us and thank you for making a difference for us.”
ZFA president Jeremy Leibler recently remarked that “the collective pain we’re all feeling is what Jewish peoplehood is.” This notion of shared pain, experiences and togetherness, transcends borders and oceans and the Diller Teen Fellows JCM depicts this perfectly.
Allowing the next generation of community leaders to experience firsthand the importance of the two-way Israeli –Diaspora relationship and curate their own lifelong connections is an incredible achievement that should be celebrated by our community.
Sharni Briner is the Diller Teen Fellows coordinator at the Zionist Federation of Australia.
