By Alex Kats
September 2024
It is coming up to October 7, a date that has been seared into the memory of all Jews for all the wrong reasons. It should have been a day of celebration because it was Simchat Torah, but turned into a day of tragedy, death, destruction and humiliation not only in Israel and for those affected, but for Jews globally. Since then the Jewish community has been in a state of shock and paralysis. Some people and organisations have stepped up in incredible ways and their efforts have not gone unnoticed, whilst others have worked behind the scenes, on social media or in other ways to ensure that the plight of the Jews and Israelis continues to be at the forefront, even when the mainstream media focuses their reporting in another direction.
Like many people, for most of October last year I was still in shock and didn’t quite know what to do or how to react. But then I hunkered down and continued to the things that I am good at – bringing people together in a time of need, and working in a small way to counter the dominant narrative. I attended vigils, I wrote articles and social media posts, but more importantly, I continued to host events as part of my role as Co-Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews, and I joined the anti-racism sub-committee as part of my role on one of the advisory councils within the City of Port Phillip, specifically to address antisemitism in the local community. After all, none of us can affect what happens half a world away, but we can change how we deal with the effects of that conflict locally.
In recent months I have decided to step up further, and I am running for local council in the City of Port Phillip both on behalf of the Jewish community and the broader community. The City of Port Phillip currently has no Jewish councillors but a large Jewish population and I feel it is important than ever that there is Jewish representation on Council. More fundamentally for me, my desire to step up is underpinned by Jewish values. In many ways, the concept of ‘think globally, act locally’ has been one of my driving forces. The phrase itself originated in the 1970s, but from a Jewish perspective, the ideas behind it date back to biblical times. Even the simple concept of a Minyan falls into that category. Prayer is essentially a solo endeavour but Judaism elevates it and makes it communal when there are a certain number of people praying together. It is only then that communal prayers can be recited, and it is only then that the Torah itself can be read. Why is this so? I believe it is because only when you think about others and have others in mind, that you can truly achieve your personal goals. That is also why it is preferred that even on a day like Yom Kippur, which is all about personal atonement, people should be together in the synagogue, and why the vast majority of the prayers themselves are in plural. We need to think about others and about our community more broadly even when we are praying and atoning for ourselves.
Local government is all about that too. Global, federal and state issues may affect how councils operate, but their main concern is or at least should be how people within the local area are touched by it. As I mentioned, there’s been an uptick in antisemitism as a result of a global conflict, but the sub-committee that I am now part of is looking only at how the residents of Port Phillip are impacted by that. I believe that at this time in our history and as we head towards the first anniversary of that fateful day, now more than ever is the time to be with our community and think globally, but to do so locally. As Jillian Segal AO recently said, now is not the time to retreat, it is the time to “commit to participating in the life of the general community.” I have been doing that for many years in various capacities, and I hope to be able to do it even more on behalf of the people of the City of Port Phillip. I also look forward to seeing how other people continue to step up on behalf of our community.
Alex Kats is a Melbourne Jewish community activist, is Co-Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews (Vic) and is a current independent candidate for the Balaclava ward in the upcoming City of Port Phillip council elections.
