The Convenor of NSW Religions for Peace, Josie Lacey OAM, was recently interviewed by the Uniting Church Relations with Other Faiths – a working group of the Uniting Church in Australia.
Tell us about your background and the work that you do.
I was born in Ploesti, Romania. My parents came here as refugees in 1939. They were the lucky ones. Many of my family that couldn’t leave were killed in the Holocaust. Twenty-nine in all. My fear of racism and its terrifying consequences has been the motivating force and inspiration for my interfaith work and my lifelong fight against racism.
The horrors of religious hatred that resulted in the destruction of six million of my people is always there and influenced my life. I was a youth leader in my teens, became a teacher and worked in London and Sydney and after marrying Ian we settled in Strathfield where our three daughters were born. Ian and I were active in our lovely small community, both in the Jewish community, the synagogue and the general one, mostly through the public school P&C my girls attended. I taught Jewish studies for eight years at the Synagogue Sunday school which we call Cheder. I was a forced volunteer – in the Rabbi’s words, “You’re a teacher, teach. What you don’t know, you will learn”. After 18 years in Strathfield we moved back to the Eastern Suburbs.
In 1992, I was awarded an OAM for services to Community Relations and the Jewish Community. I was active in the promotion of racial and religious harmony, anti-racism, women’s rights and Jewish community leadership. Interfaith Adviser to the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) and the Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations (APRO).
Founding Convenor of the Women’s Interfaith Network (WIN). WIN now has four branches in NSW.
I was also:
- Life member of the Ethnic Communities Council (ECC) of NSW and Convenor of the Interfaith and Anti-racism Sub-committee of the ECC
- Chairperson of the International NGO World Conference of Religions for Peace NSW (RfP)
- Executive member of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies for 15 years, and chairperson of the Board’s Interfaith and Multicultural Relations Committee (retired 2010)
- Life Member of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the roof body of the Australian Jewish community
- Consultant to the ECAJ on relations with other ethnic and religious communities
In 2013 the NSW Parliament hosted a ceremony to present the inaugural Premier’s Multicultural Awards, and one went to me. I quote,”Jewish communal leader and interfaith activist, Mrs Josie Lacey received the Premier’s inaugural Lifetime Community Service award. She received the award from Premier Barry O’Farrell; Communities Minister Vic Dominello and Community Relations Commissioner Stepan Kerkyasharian.
The official award was “for her dedicated service over 30 years to the promotion of interfaith and inter-communal harmony, and achievements in multiculturalism spanning social justice, anti-racism, women’s rights and children’s rights”.
Mrs Josie Lacey with Premier Barry O’Farrell and Communities Minister Vic Dominello
On behalf of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, I have also participated for some 15 years in a number of interfaith dialogues, including the National Dialogue of Muslims Christians and Jews, and regular dialogues with the Uniting Church in Australia. On behalf of the Board of Deputies I have also joined with the Affinity Intercultural Association, an Islamic interfaith group, in organising a number of functions together with the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, the Columban Mission and the Uniting Church. These functions include an annual Abrahamic Conference and the Women of Faith Dinner.
What do you think are the particular challenges for interfaith work in the coming 12 months?
To continue engaging with other Faith Communities, not just the Abrahamic but also the Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Baha’i and others to develop personal friendships through communication
What are the important symbols or signs in your belief system?
Firstly our Torah scroll and the Hebrew Bible which Christians call the Old Testament.
Mezuzah, tzitzit and tefillin are all reminders of the commandments.
Mezuzah is a piece of parchment Jews affix to our door frames after Deuteronomy 6:9 “And you shall write [the words that I command you today] on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Tzitzit is the name for specially knotted ritual fringers worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by observant Jews and Samaritans.
Tallits a Jewish prayer shawl. The tallit is worn over the outer clothes during the morning prayers (Shacharit) and worn during all prayers on Yom Kippur.
They shall make themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they shall place on the tzitzit of each corner a thread of techeilet. And it shall be tzitzit for you, and you will see it, and you will remember all the mitzvot of the L-RD and do them and not follow your heart or your eyes and run after them. -Numbers 15:38-40
Tefillin Bind [the words that I command you today] as a sign on your arm, and they shall be ornaments between your eyes. -Deuteronomy 6:8
We also have:
The menorah (candelabrum) is the ancient universal symbol of Judaism
The Jewish star (Magen David) is a modern universal Jewish symbol
Jews wear a skullcap (kipa) as a pious custom
Chai, found on jewelry, is the number 18, which is a favorable number
Shabbat candles.
Could you suggest books/DVDs/ interesting websites/articles on interfaith relations to new comers?
The Israel and Judaism Studies (IJS) website www.ijs.org.au/ is a great resource that provides basic information about Judaism and the history of Israel.
This is a service of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, the official roof body of the Jewish Community in New South Wales.
The IJS website is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the NSW secondary school syllabus in Modern History and in Studies of Religion. It is hoped that this material will also be of interest to university students and to the general reader.
Resources for teachers are also provided here, including details of interschool and interfaith youth activities, professional development and tertiary courses, general adult education and Jewish community education programs.
Dialogue Decalogue by Leonard Swidler also gives useful ground rules for interreligious and intercultural dialogue with Jewish people.
Mrs Josie Lacey with members of Religions for Peace NSW at a recent meeting
