MEDIA RELEASE: Federal government announcement – $2.2 million for security funding for NSW Jewish community
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Federal government announcement – $2.2 million for security funding for NSW Jewish community
9 October 2018
(Left to Right) NSW Jewish Board of Deputies President, Lesli Berger, Dave Sharma and Peter Wertheim and at the announcement of the Federal government’s decision to grant $2.2 million towards security costs for the Jewish community in NSW. (Photo: Henry Benjamin/J-Wire)
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has warmly welcomed the announcement by the Federal government that it has allocated $2.2 million to assist the NSW Jewish community to secure and protect its people and institutions. The announcement was conveyed to Jewish community leaders on Tuesday by Dave Sharma, the Liberal candidate for Wentworth in the upcoming by-election.
“This is a much-needed initiative to assist the Jewish community to meet its ever- increasing security costs, which the ECAJ has been advocating for some time”, said the ECAJ’s co-CEO Peter Wertheim.
“There are two key aspects of the announcement which are especially welcome”.
“Firstly, a large proportion of the allocation, some $1.685 million, will be earmarked to upgrade the vital security infrastructure which is operated by the NSW Community Security Group, and serves the whole of the NSW Jewish community. A further $515,000 will be allocated to specific Jewish community institutions in NSW with the most urgent needs”.
“Secondly, the allocation will be made by the Jewish community itself through the Council for Jewish Community Security (CJCS) in NSW. The CJCS (NSW) operates in tandem with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and has an excellent track record in ensuring that the community gets the optimum security outcome”.
The CJCS is constituted under the aegis of the ECAJ to assist in the provision of security and protection for members and institutions of the Australian Jewish community. This security is in the main provided by the respective Community Security Groups which operate in all regions in which there are major Jewish communal centres.
“Ensuring the safety and security of all citizens is the first duty of any government”, Wertheim said. “Dave Sharma is to be congratulated for pursuing this matter so energetically with the Federal government. We thank him and the Federal government for recognising the importance and urgency of this issue for our community.”
Contact:
Peter Wertheim AM | Co-CEO
ph: 02 8353 8500 | m: 0408 160 904
e: pwertheim@ecaj.org.au | www.ecaj.org.au
