The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) operates as the roof body and the voice of the Australian Jewish Community.
We represent the interests of the Australian Jewish community to the Federal government, to parliamentary inquiries, to national law enforcement agencies, the national media and in regular dialogues with other ethnic and faith communities.
Since our founding in 1944, the ECAJ has led advocacy efforts on matter of profound importance to our community. Some of our early work was supporting the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and advocating for the absorption of Jewish refugees into Australian society in the wake of the Holocaust.
Today, our functions covers everything that affects the Jewish community’s rights and freedoms to live securely and comfortably as Jews in Australia.
We fight to combat antisemitism wherever we find it, we defend the national rights of the Jewish people, we strive to keep our community secure, strong and vibrant, and we serve as the voice of our vibrant community to government, civil society, and the national press.
The ECAJ monitors, records and speaks out against antisemitism. When necessary, we take people – including notorious Holocaust deniers – who publish antisemitic material to the Australian Human Rights Commission, and even to the Federal Court. The ECAJ is the only Jewish organisation to have done this.
Day-to-day, the ECAJ works on:
- Protecting our religious freedoms to observe and practise Judaism in Australia;
- Acquiring government funding for the Jewish community’s security needs;
- Monitoring and reporting incidents of antisemitism;
- Securing compensation for Holocaust survivors;
- Advocating for the national rights of the Jewish people and encouraging support for Zionism in Australia;
- Liaising with the Federal government to stamp out child abuse;
- Monitoring the content of school curricula in teaching about Israel and the Holocaust;
- Supporting initiatives to commemorate the Shoah; remembering our wonderful Jewish ANZACs; and
- Providing support for the smaller Jewish communities outside of Sydney and Melbourne.
