Anne Sarzin and Lisa Miranda Sarzin. Hand in Hand: Jewish and Indigenous People Working Together.

Briskman, Linda

Anne Sarzin and Lisa Miranda Sarzin. Hand in Hand: Jewish and Indigenous People Working Together. Sydney: Write 4 U (NSW). Paperback. $30.00

Every now and then a book emerges with the potential to inspire in readers a commitment to action for social change. Through powerful narratives, Hand in Hand tells of the forging of relationships across what at first glance may appear as a vast social divide-Jewish and Indigenous people.

The significance of the relationships is portrayed in the book through both vignettes of social action and photographic imagery. The authors, Anne Sarzin and Lisa Miranda Sarzin, highlight some largely unknown projects arising from Jewish and Indigenous people working together for justice. In so doing they contribute to a counter discourse that challenges commentators who lament the lack of engagement across groups which have shared experiences of persecution and suffering.

Just as there is not one Indigenous or one Jewish voice, there are different ideas in the book about how to make a contribution in both approach and substance. Although educational projects are a sizeable focus of the book, examples abound of other forms of engagement that demonstrate different ways to walk hand in hand, including the domains of the arts, health and philanthropy. The words of wise prophets and contemporary Jewish leaders will be a major source of inspiration to some; for others it may be the actions of ordinary people that spur others to action. The diversity of approaches demonstrates a common theme of working in partnership for the achievement of a shared humanity.

The book is largely restricted to New South Wales while acknowledging that there is a broader account to be conveyed. Furthermore, although the book's focus is on contemporary relationships, we are taken a step back in time and away from New South Wales through the revealing of the moving story of William Cooper, which is pivotal in the annals of Jewish and Aboriginal history and commemorated in Israel. Cooper led a delegation to the German Consulate in Melbourne in 1938 to protest against the persecution of Jews in Germany. I was fortunate to be at the commemoration event at the Jewish Holocaust Museum in Melbourne in 2002 and to hear the stirring words of Justice Marcus Einfeld and the ovation that followed. Marcus Einfeld is among the prominent Jewish leaders honoured in this book, through his exposure in 1988 of the shameful conditions confronting the Aboriginal community of Toomelah.

Other accounts are less well-known and Jewish involvement in Indigenous rights campaigns has not always achieved headlines. The text provides an opportunity to also bring the quiet achievers into the public sphere, with the stories of partnerships before reconciliation became mainstream. Among the earliest forms of engagement by Jewish participants were the courageous Freedom Ride of 1965 and membership of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, a body which spearheaded the 1967 Referendum that removed discriminatory provisions from the constitution. Through actions past and present, those who feature in the narratives present as role models for Jewish community members to build on the achievements to date and to recognise the work still to be done.

The book is not overtly political, though, as its title suggests, it is about relationships and how the formulation of partnerships can bring about powerful change in people's lives. From my human rights perspective, it is somewhat of an omission to not engage more critically in the political realm when the politics of oppression has dominated the lives of both Jewish and Indigenous people. There is also the question of moral responsibility in questions of political activism, with the need for Jewish voices to acknowledge their overcoming of oppression and how this creates an imperative to work in partnership with those who have had less fortunate lives.

Despite the documentation of worthy achievements, it is important not to rest on our laurels and be too self-congratulatory. Jews are one group among many who have joined in reconciliation approaches and partnerships with Indigenous organisations. While increasing, Jewish social justice action in reaching out to Indigenous communities is not widespread. Unlike the faith groups that were complicit in past government policies, including through missions and children's homes, Jewish responsibility arises in other ways, such as acknowledging the devastation of shared racism, recognising the benefits accruing to all non-Indigenous people through dispossession and through religious texts and teachings. Rabbi Raymond Apple says in relation to the Stolen Generations that although it is not we who have sinned, "we will sin if from now onwards we do not defend the human rights of others."

I congratulate the authors on this book, as well as the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies for the initiative. May it inspire others to further social justice action. The book is not only illustrative of a range of significant activities conducted with Indigenous people but implicitly has a broader human rights message about other potential relationships that build upon shared histories of persecution, oppression and racism. The conclusion to Hand in Hand proclaims the social justice imperatives of Judaism-Tzedekah (justice) and Tikkun Olam (healing the world). It is perhaps beholden on others in the Jewish community to extend these concepts to areas that are more contested, such as asylum seeker rights and Palestinian rights, where Jews have also been active in Australia and internationally.

The anthropologist W. E. H. Stanner wrote of "the cult of forgetfulness" when it comes to Aboriginal issues. Taking up this challenge, the late Ron Castan worked to ensure that knowledge about Indigenous people is not hidden in the annals of history. Taking this further, it is important to recognise that not acting may constitute silent conspiracy, a fate common to groups who have experienced atrocities aimed at annihilation. The deeds of William Cooper and his followers continue to resonate among those committed to social justice, human rights and mutual respect.

Linda Briskman

Curtin University

Perth