NEW YORK — World Jewish Congress Executive Vice President Maram Stern traveled to Australia this week alongside UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, meeting with leaders of the WJC-affiliated Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), government officials, and civil society representatives amid growing concerns about antisemitism.
The visit comes in the wake of the terror attack targeting Jews on Bondi Beach last December and as Australia recently launched a Royal Commission into antisemitism, a process Jewish leaders hope will lead to stronger protections for Jewish communities nationwide.
During the visit, Stern met with WJC Policy Council Chair Robert Goot and other leaders of the Australian Jewish community to discuss the evolving security environment facing Jewish communities and the need for close cooperation between governments and Jewish communal institutions.
Stern and Rabbi Mirvis also met with Ahmed Al Ahmed, whose courageous actions during the Bondi Beach attack helped prevent the tragedy from becoming even more deadly. Stern expressed the appreciation of Jewish communities around the world for Al Ahmed’s bravery and solidarity.
The visit follows a series of high-level meetings last week in New York and Washington, D.C., arranged by the World Jewish Congress for ECAJ Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin with senior United Nations and U.S. government officials.
Together with World Jewish Congress American Section Chair Phillip Rosen and CEO Sara Friedman, Ryvchin met with officials at the White House, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Department of State to discuss the urgent need to strengthen protections for Jewish communities worldwide.
Among those participating in discussions with the WJC delegation were U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Ellen Germain, Reed D. Rubinstein, Legal Adviser at the State Department, Matt Murray, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, Monica Jacobsen of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, Nancy Dahdouh, Director for Counterterrorism, Global Sunni Threats at the National Security Council, Martin Marks, Special Assistant to the President and Liaison to the Jewish Community, and Shawn Chenoweth, Director of Cognitive Advantage at the National Security Council.
Ryvchin was also welcomed at the United Nations, where he met with Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), for a discussion with diplomats on the global rise of antisemitism and the need for stronger international cooperation to combat hatred and extremism.
Through sustained engagement with policymakers, community leaders, and international partners, the World Jewish Congress continues to work to ensure that the voices of Jewish communities in more than 100 countries are heard and that governments take decisive action to protect them.
