Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) today released a new resource to assist Catholic schools, communities and agencies to hold better informed discussions about antisemitism.
Titled “Addressing Antisemitic Bullying: A Resource for Catholic Leadership and Formation”, its centrepiece is a videoed conversation between a Catholic educator and leading members of the Jewish community sharing their considerable knowledge and experience of dealing with antisemitic incidents in the community.
The video is accompanied by discussion guides that can be tailored to suit a staff meeting, professional development day or conference workshop. The materials are all available online and, while pitched to CRA’s Catholic networks, are freely available to others as well.
The resource is being released at a critical time in Australia, which has seen a dramatic rise in antisemitism since October 7. However, arising from a project carried out prior to October 7, it should be noted that the resource does not engage with volatile political issues but, rather, views antisemitism through a general lens of respect for human dignity and the practical context of anti-bullying policies.
CRA President, Gerard Brady CFC, stated: “To their credit, Catholic school principals are typically highly motivated to embed values of respect and inclusion, and anti-bullying policies are already in place. What our Jewish colleagues help us to understand is that not all bullying is the same – there are specificities about antisemitic bullying that are not always well understood.”
Peter Wertheim AM, co-CEO of the ECAJ, explains, “Antisemitism has specific indicators – as do other kinds of bullying such as Islamophobia and prejudice against First Nations peoples. Without a deeper understanding, antisemitic incidents can be lost in and overlooked by generic anti-bullying policies. Our hope is that this resource will strengthen both education and incident response.”
CRA and the ECAJ are pleased to offer this resource as a joint response in the 60th anniversary year of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, the Vatican II document that made a groundbreaking contribution to interfaith and Jewish relations.
To access “Addressing Antisemitic Bullying: A Resource for Catholic Leadership and Formation”, go to:
https://www.catholicreligious.org.au/addressing-antisemitic-bullying
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
CRA: David Rose | M: 0410 166 211 | E: comms@catholicreligious.org.au
ECAJ: Peter Wertheim | M: 0408 160 904 | E: pwertheim@ecaj.org.au