Statistical survey misses Perth

It would seem that the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University has forgotten that almost 10% of Australian Jews live in Perth, and are in fact part of the Australian Jewish Community.

The Centre is conducting a survey on the Australian Jewish population that it promotes as follows:

“Be part of Australia’s first comprehensive national survey of the Jewish population. Your involvement is essential to make possible a full understanding of the views and needs of Jewish Australians. This is the opportunity for you to have your say and help strengthen our community.”

It is hardly comprehensive or national to conduct a survey of this nature and exclude the third largest Jewish community in Australia.  The survey is limited to Victoria and New South Wales. 

Without being too parochial, Perth can boast facilities and outcomes from our Jewish community that far exceed our larger counterparts.  We have enthusiastic youth who can out-party any of their eastern counterparts.  We have learned students who can enter Zionist yeshivahs alongside their Melbourne and Sydney peers and not only hold their own, but lead the standard of learning.  We have educational, sports and aged care facilities that are the envy of any other Asian-Pacific Jewish community. 

We also have strong views on matters of Jewish identity, continuity, resources and facilities.  It is to the detriment of both the Perth Jewish community, and all of Jewish Australia, that when the academic sector formulates a position that represents Australian Jewry that the people of Perth will not be represented in the process.