This week I had the great privilege of attending the Australian Council of Jewish Schools (ACJS) conference in Sydney. This was a unique moment for board members and Principals from every Jewish school in Australia to come together to collaborate, support one another and discuss the future of this vitally important aspect of our Jewish communal life.

The conference was hosted at Kesser Torah College in Dover Heights. The Kesser Torah community was devastatingly impacted by the Bondi Massacre with a number of community members murdered or hurt, a significant number who lost their parents and a very large number who were attending the Chanukah event when the terrorists struck. As such, the ACJS decided that facilitating our congregation at Kesser Torah would be an important act of solidarity and support for a community that is still reeling with the consequences of December 14 2025.

An extremely moving point on the Conference agenda involved a memorial walk led by Rabbi Dadon who is a Bondi Massacre survivor. Rabbi Dadon shared his testimony and described in detail the events of that terrible day. Rabbi Dadon’s daughter, Chaya, was one of the incredible heroes who was shot while risking her life shielding other young children. We then joined together to recite an emotional tehilim in honour of those who were lost.

The Conference covered important topics of addressing antisemitism and our role as Jewish schools in ensuring that despite the unprecedented rise of antisemitic events in Australia that we continue to promote a joyous and positive experience of Jewish life for our students and their families.

We met with key advocates who are working hard to confront this issue including representatives from the Dor Foundation, Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the NSW Board of Deputies and Rabbi Zalman Kastel from Together for Humanity which promotes interfaith and inter-cultural activity to build harmony.

This was followed by a clear highlight - a keynote address by The Honourable Justice Michael Lee of the Federal Court of Australia who reflected on Australian values and what steps might be taken to overcome the scourge of antisemitism.

The next session was based on the topic of school security and the unfair financial burden placed on Jewish schools to ensure that this key priority is met to the highest possible standards.

The Conference program also had sessions on school affordability and enrolment attraction and retention and these proved to be valuable opportunities to share insights, innovations and wisdom obtained from across the range of Jewish schools that exist around Australia.

Overall the Conference proved that there is enormous value in collaborating with our colleagues from other school communities. While we are all different and have a diversity of practice and community cohorts, there is an overwhelming sense of unity and friendship and the sense that we are all stronger when we are together.