Australian Jewish Association

Australian Jewish Association
AbbreviationAJA
Formation2017 (2017)
TypeJewish advocacy organisation
Purpose
HeadquartersAustralia
President
Robert Gregory
SubsidiariesAustralian Jewish Association Tzedakah (AJAT)

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) is an Australian Jewish advocacy organisation representing conservative Jewish values. Founded in 2017, the AJA engages in public advocacy and media commentary on issues relating to Jewish affairs, Israel, and Australian politics. Peak body the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has characterised the AJA as being unrepresentative of mainstream Australian Jews.

Structure and governance

As a private Jewish advocacy group, AJA's leadership is self-appointed with a number of undisclosed paid members.[1][2]

The founding president of AJA is David Adler.[3] Robert Gregory serves as chief executive officer and president, and was previously AJA’s public affairs director for two years.[4][5]

History and activities

Founded in 2017, the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) has gained prominence through strategic social media engagement and presence in mainstream media outlets such as The Australian, Sky News Australia,[6] Australian Financial Review, Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, and The Jerusalem Post, as well as outlets aimed at the Jewish community such as The Australian Jewish News.[7]

AJA makes submissions to the Australian Government on public policy matters affecting Jewish Australians.[8]

Views and political positions

According to its mission statements, the AJA describes itself as being guided by Torah principles and aligned with conservative values.[7] AJA states that it seeks to be a membership-based representative organisation for Jewish Australians and that its public policy positions are informed by traditional Halachic principles, while welcoming members of varying levels of religious observance who support Israel.[7]

AJA states that it operates within Australia’s liberal democratic framework and provides advocacy and representation to government, media, and other institutions. The organisation says it is not affiliated with any political party but engages with politicians across the political spectrum on issues it considers relevant to Jewish life in Australia and Australia–Israel relations.[7]

AJAT

The Australian Jewish Association Tzedakah (AJAT) is AJA's registered charity arm.[9] AJAT is listed in the category under "Harm Prevention" with a primary role in combating antisemitism. AJAT subscribes to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and conducts activities to implement its adoption in Australian jurisdictions and institutions.[10]

Media statements

AJA is regularly quoted on issues of politics and antisemitism within Australia.[11]

In September 2024, CEO Robert Gregory stated that AJA was shocked at the level of support for Hezbollah on the streets of Sydney and Melbourne during a series of protests after the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.[12] In November 2024, AJA president David Adler stated on Sky News Australia that there was a "crisis of antisemitism" in Australia after AJA received death threats.[13]

Following the 2024 Melbourne synagogue attack in December 2024, AJA stated that Jewish Australians felt "outraged", but not surprised, due to their view that Australian Jews had been abandoned by the Albanese government.[14][15] Commenting on a vandalism incident in Sydney in January 2025, AJA blamed the Australian Labor government for the increase in hate, vandalism and violence against Jewish Australians.[16]

Criticism

Jewish Israeli-Australian Na’ama Carlin has accused the AJA of spreading unverified or misleading claims that portrayed pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. In October 2023, AJA released a video on X of a protest following the October 7 attacks claiming that a "Muslim mob of 100s chant[ed] 'gas the Jews'",[17] leading to international condemnation of the protest.[18] However, a police investigation found no evidence of the phrase being used in the video, instead deeming it misinterpretation of "where's the Jews".[19][20] Crikey alleged that the video itself was deliberately edited, with the audio in the video being pasted over footage of protesters chanting "Palestine is occupied".[21][22]

In a debate over Jewish representation, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in May 2024 criticised AJA as being unrepresentative of the mainstream of Australian Jews, and urged media organisations to be aware of who they are before engaging with them.[23] The Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) voiced similar opinions stating that AJA is "extremist" and "fringe",[23] and "utterly incompatible with Jewish values".[24] The Jewish Council of Australia called AJA a "far-right extremist organisation",[25] highlighting AJA's association with far-right figures like Pauline Hanson,[26] Lauren Southern,[27] and Moshe Feiglin,[28] as well as AJA's stance that the Safe Schools programme is "child abuse for a Marxist social engineering agenda".[25]

The Lebanese Muslim Association has criticised some of AJA's X posts, such as a May 2024 post referring to pro-Palestine encampments on university campuses as "Nazi encampments".[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ Le Grand, Chip (21 April 2024). "What's in a name? The battle over who speaks for whom in Australia's Jewish community". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ^ "A troubling trend: the mainstreaming of the Australian Jewish Association". The Jewish Independent. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  3. ^ "DAVID ADLER". Australian Jewish Association. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Robert Gregory". Australian Jewish Association. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  5. ^ Thomas, Emma (26 May 2025). "Albanese ramps up Gaza rhetoric as Zionist narrative erodes". Michael West Media. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  6. ^ Stone, Deborah (18 April 2024). "Who speaks for Australian Jews?". The Jewish Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d "We are AJA". Australian Jewish Association. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  8. ^ Adler, David (26 April 2021). "Comment on objections 8" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  9. ^ "AUSTRALIAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION TZEDAKAH INCORPORATED". Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  10. ^ "AJA Tzedakah". Australian Jewish Association. 6 November 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  11. ^ "A troubling trend: the mainstreaming of the Australian Jewish Association". The Jewish Independent. 10 May 2022.
  12. ^ Ikonomou, Tess; Powell, Caitlin; Brissenden, Neve (29 September 2024). "Protesters wave Hezbollah flags at Australian rally". J-wire. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  13. ^ "'A crisis of antisemitism': Australian Jewish Association receives death threats". Sky News Australia. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  14. ^ Jose, Renju (6 December 2024). "Australia police search for two suspects in arson attack on Melbourne synagogue". Reuters. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  15. ^ "Car torched, anti-Israel graffiti sprayed in Sydney suburb with large Jewish community". The Times of Israel. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  16. ^ Starr, Michael (6 January 2025). "'F**k the Jews:' Car graffitied in Sydney in latest attack". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  17. ^ Carlin, Na'ama (22 December 2023). "On misinformation, groups like AJA must do better by their communities". Crikey. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  18. ^ Land, Olivia (10 October 2023). "'Reprehensible' protesters chant 'Gas the Jews' outside Sydney Opera House". Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  19. ^ "Police find no evidence of antisemitic 'gas' chant at pro-Palestinian Sydney protest". SBS News. January 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  20. ^ Lewis, Alexander; Kidd, Jessica (2 February 2024). "Video analysis finds no evidence 'gas the Jews' chant used at Opera House rally, police say". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  21. ^ Wilson, Cam; Lattouf, Antoinette (5 February 2024). "Calls for further 'Gas the Jews' investigation as group behind footage mocks police finding". Crikey. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  22. ^ Wilson, Cam; Lattouf, Antoinette (13 December 2023). "Viral footage showed protesters chanting 'gas the Jews'. Nobody can verify it". Crikey. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  23. ^ a b Knott, Matthew (27 May 2024). "Sharma hosted far-right Israel group disavowed by other Jewish associations". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  24. ^ Sakkal, Paul (14 August 2023). "No campaigner's comments on Stan Grant, Lidia Thorpe labelled 'disgusting', 'grotesque'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  25. ^ a b "Senator Henderson must explain participation in event with far-right extremist organisation". www.jewishcouncil.com.au. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  26. ^ "Senator Pauline Hanson addresses the Jewish Community". Jmedia. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  27. ^ Narunsky, Gareth. "'Tawdry and juvenile'". www.australianjewishnews.com. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  28. ^ Le Grand, Chip (21 June 2024). "Israeli 'extremist' tells Australian audience Gaza should have been reduced to ashes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  29. ^ Yim, Noah (8 May 2024). "Muslim organisation accuses Australian Jewish Association of 'incitement to violence'". The Australian. Retrieved 8 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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