For Immediate Release, November 2, 2026
The Irony of the Jewish Council’s Concerns
The NZ Jewish Council alleges a rise in antisemitism, manifested in threats and the exclusion of one Israeli performer from a festival.
In case anyone has forgotten them, the NZ Jewish Council is indirectly appointed by largely non-existent regional councils to represent the Zionist-Jewish institutions of New Zealand. Their constitution does not mention Israel, although they can’t seem to stop talking about it.
To be clear, AJV objects to the conduct of any politics by threat or by racialised misdirection, period. The bitter irony of the Jewish Council’s concerns do not change that.
Juliet Moses objects that one mustn’t ‘hold an entire population responsible for its government’s decisions, any more than you can assume every citizen of any country supports its government.’ (Stuff, Oct 21)
Israel’s government has collectively punished Gaza through 17 years of its choking, illegal blockade. Its leaders have explicitly supported more than three years of genocide, holding every single civilian in Gaza violently responsible for authorities they cannot control. Moses, though, was intervening in support of Israelis.
On October 28, Ben Kepes allowed that ‘People do not have to agree with the Jewish Council.’
Thank you – but ‘disagree’ does not begin to reflect the sentiment. People are attempting to stop a genocide, conducted by a government which the Jewish Council cannot bring itself to condemn.
The NZ Jewish Council has been morally selective for years, giving the impression that the Jewish community cares only about their own fears while they depoliticise and downgrade the consequences of Israel’s actions for others. AJV tried strenuously to elicit the Jewish Council’s condemnation of the Kahanist, fascist Israeli government from the moment it was elected. No response.
Since then, Israel has slaughtered 75,000 from a community of 2.3 million Gazan Palestinians. They are ethnically cleansing the West Bank. They have done vast damage to Lebanon, bombed hither and yon, and now Netanyahu and Trump look eager to restart their war against Iran. Still nothing.
Often in Aotearoa, we can debate, go home and debate another day. This is not one of those times. In times like ours, one is called on to use one’s public platform and privilege to save lives – or one may be considered complicit or cowardly for their silence.
Neither Jews nor Israelis are neutral while a system of settler-colonial oppression built for our benefit is committing genocide. AJV supports boycott and other targeted, non-violent acts of economic choice. These forms of external pressure have helped bring other criminal regimes to heel.
Hear this, Jewish Council. Standing aside from genocide is not neutrality. It is permission to carry on.
Having issued that passive permission (at least) for years, the NZ Jewish Council now wishes to rule out even peaceful economic objections to genocide. They are disturbed that one Israeli individual won’t perform on one stage. How dare they imagine that to be the story, when 75,000 Gazans have been murdered – and the genocide is ongoing.
Alternative Jewish Voices
