Our Mission

National Council of Jewish Women of Australia (NCJWA) is the peak representative body for Jewish women in Australia.

​

We focus on human rights, social justice and the advancement of all women.

 

Founded in 1923, NCJWA is the oldest Jewish women’s grassroots organization in the country. We are a proudly feminist and Zionist organisation guided by Jewish values that call on us to improve the lives of women, children, and families. The central call to action for NCJWA is “Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue” (Bereshit 16:20).

 

We are a federated organisation. At National level we are run by an elected Board of Directors who are all volunteers. We currently have four state/territory NCJWA Sections: New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland, each with its own governing committee. The Sections are independent but aligned with National values which guide their work empowering and creating change in local communities. Their myriad social justice, service and advocacy projects are our history and our future.

 

According to our Constitution, the Object of National Council of Jewish Women of Australia is to advance the position of women and girls in Australia and the Jewish world. Our mission includes: 

 

• Promoting gender equality, women's rights and empowerment

• Giving a platform to the diverse voices of Jewish women in Australia

• Encouraging mutual respect between groups and opposing all forms of racism 

 

What we care about is clear from our name: we care about what’s going on in our nation, Australia. How cohesive is our society? How just is it? How civil is our public discourse? What steps are we taking in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women?

 

We care about what’s happening in the Jewish world. That world shifted on its axis on October 7 2023 with the horrific terrorist attack – the barbaric massacre, rapes and abductions of people in southern Israel and especially of women.  Since then, the utterly shocking tsunami of racism against us and marginalisation of our sisters and brothers in Israel have triggered intergenerational trauma for us at levels unprecedented in our lifetimes.

 

And we care about the status of women in every sense. The physical and emotional safety of women and girls is still not assured in any society. The opportunities for them to achieve and advance in a world are still calibrated to advance men ahead of them. The ability for all women and girls to have their voices heard in every sector and to participate fully in the world is still not assured, so we have much work to do.

 

NCJWA is affiliated to:

 

National Council of Women of Australia, the national non-government umbrella organisation for women in Australia

 

International Council of Jewish Women (ICJW), which represents Jewish women in many international fora, including the United Nations

 

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the peak representative body of the Australian Jewish Community

 

Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA), the federal roof body for Australia’s Zionist organisations