Complex kinship: a historical and contemporary study of Australian Jewish relations with Israel

© 2014 Dr. Dashiel LawrenceSince its establishment in 1948, the State of Israel has been central in Australian Jewish community activity and identity. Israel has occupied a unique, unparalleled place in the consciousness of Australian Jews and in most of their community institutions, be they religious, educational or cultural. Zionism, the political movement that gave rise to the State of Israel, has filtered through most aspects of Australian Jewish community life—synagogues and day schools, in particular. This has been explained as due to the large number of Holocaust survivors in Australia who have reached conclusions about the cause of Jewish homelessness and statelessness. To their mind, and to the mind of most Australian Jews, Israel is a vital ‘insurance policy’ and Zionism its greatest advocate. To date, no academic study of any substance has closely examined the complex relationship between Australian Jewry and Israel. This thesis therefore offers a breakthrough study of the contemporary and historical nature of this relationship. It considers a range of elements that have contributed—and continue to contribute—to the Australian Jewish diaspora’s relationship with Israel: from established community organisations to activist groups and online communities. Two specific periods frame the discussion in this thesis: 1948–1997 and 2000–2014. The first period is marked by the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a series of conflicts and wars between Israel and hostile neighbours, followed by the State’s occupation of Palestinian territories after 1967. This first period was also marked by the transformation of the Australian Jewish diaspora through major waves of postwar migration and the revitalisation of Jewish community activity. The second period (2000–2014) has also been defined by violence and upheaval in Israel, following the failure of the peace process in the 1990s and the renewal of violence in 2000 (the Second Intifada). For Australian Jewry, the twenty-first century has brought subtle but important shifts in its demography and community activity. This thesis examines the evolution of the Australian Jewish diaspora’s relationship with Israel during this period, how the social and demographic changes at the turn of the twenty-first century fundamentally altered this relationship and how Australian Jews approach matters of community activity and engagement in the post-2000 period. This thesis argues that Australian Jewish identities are now significantly more diverse, plural and fragmented than in the twentieth century. Jewish community engagement has begun to decentralise away from traditional and ‘top-down’ institutions towards flatter, innovative activities and expressions of Jewishness. Israel occupies a place in Jewish identity and activity, but a new paradigm has given rise to a relationship more complex and multipolar than ever before