OPINION &ANALYSIS 24 The Australian Jewish New s – jewishnews.net.au Friday, December 4, 2015 Bringing water to the world Child abuse: shifting from blame to support N the wake of the Royal Partisan Commission and other court pro - ceedings, our community was SAM LIPSKI Irocked by the exposure of key Orthodox organisations and their Viewpoint N the beginning there was Start- response to allegations of child sexual Up Nation , the book (Dan Senor abuse. MICHELLE M EYER and Saul Singer, Hachette, 2009). Tzedek was established to support Change is slow and some individu - Then came, not the movie, but and advocate for victims/survivors of I institutional abuse in the Jewish com - als may be more ready for it than the movement, as the book sold in the munity. The organisation continues this others. millions and was translated into 31 work, in addition to delivering aware - For an adult who has not previously languages. And as other nations ness campaigns and protective behav - encountered sexual abuse, a disclosure rushed to Israel to discover the iours education in schools and youth my engender overwhelming feelings of “secret”: how a small country became movements. shame, anger and fear: shame that it a world-leading innovation hub, sci - The Jewish community has had to happened in our family, our organisa - entific multiplier, and technology deal with the loss of its sense of iden - tion, our community, anger at the vic - tims/survivors for the resultant rifts and generator. The desalination plant in Hadera, Israel. tity as a decent and upright community. Many have also felt a strong sense of fear of the likely outcomes. The shame At first Australia was slow to join win-win for Australia and Israel. As it So the book is directly and imme - indignation and anger at the failure of may also arise from the confronting the movement. But over the past year has been already for the emerging diately relevant to the developing our organisations to protect our chil - nature of the abuse. Others may feel it’s been playing Catch Up Nation. economic powers in Asia such as world where at least 60 per cent of the dren. anger, often finding expression in blam - High-profile Sydney entrepreneurs, ing the victims/survivors, his or her China and India. earth’s land surface isn’t keeping pace Where is our community now? Are Melbourne investors, and Canberra we ready to apologise to our family and supports or a government But if in the beginning there was between water supply and growing politicians have been talking up victims/survivors? At an individual authority. Start-Up Nation , Israel’s “next big demand. Siegel explains how that gap Israel’s achievements. Trade missions level, an apology can only be meaning - Organisations must accept respon - thing” promises to make even more threatens rising food prices, slower sibility for the damage caused by their have returned from Tel Aviv with tales ful if it reflects a true shift in under - impact globally. It’s water. And sur - economic growth, and inevitable standing about the harm the abuse has negligence, requiring change in gover - of great meals and great deals. And prise, surprise, it’s another book that’s political instability. caused. nance and leadership. Significant Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, But the book’s message is also vital Now that the silence about child organisational change has occurred in who wants an “agile” and “innova - spreading the word. Let There Be for many advanced economies, sexual abuse has been broken, it is the Jewish community in acknowledg - tive” Australia, has read the book and Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water- ing the harm caused by gaps in infra - including the United States and time to shift the narrative from blame knows the Start-Up Nation authors. Starved World (Seth M Siegel, to support. Statements need to change structure and policy. Australia. The US government pre - Nor has the traffic been all one Thomas Dunne Books, 2015), was from “How could they let this happen?” It was heartening to receive feed - dicts that 40 of its 50 states will soon way. For their part, Israeli start-ups published in September, and quickly to “How could we let this happen?” back from a child protection profes - face severe water shortages. Some sional that the necessary and investors have been discovering made the best-seller lists in The New More importantly, we need to shift our states, such as California, are strug - response to “How can we stop this from organisational change has been Australia. Just last week, the largest York Times and Los Angeles Times . gling with four and five-year happening again? How can we all adopted in a far more timely manner delegation of Israeli venture capital - Siegel is a New York-based writer droughts which are having devastat - become active participants in protect - and more proactively in the Jewish ists and start-ups arrived. Together and businessman, and with great nar - ing impacts on food production and ing our children?” community than elsewhere. with Chief Scientist Avi Hasson and rative skill he tells the truly fascinating In many organisations, child protec - exports. And just a few days ago, the For an apology to be meaningful it other senior officials they participated story of how Israel, with 60 per cent must be accompanied by action. We tion training and policy development ABC reported that Queensland’s in a Telstra-sponsored conference desert, has solved its water problems need to demonstrate support for vic - and implementation have reduced the drought had spread to a record 80 per organised by the indefatigable Ethy and is now a water exporter. tims/survivors and promote social risk of sex offenders having access to cent of the state, the largest area ever children. Ultra-Orthodox and Levy, Israel’s Trade Commissioner in The book makes clear that, con - change. Asking for help is one of the officially recognised as suffering from hardest things to do. Let’s start with Progressive leaders have sat side by Sydney. trary to what many of Israel’s friends drought in Australia. offering assistance, but let us also side, collaborating in working to make It’s a truism, therefore, to say that have assumed, its water problems Of course, as Siegel emphasises, not invite and encourage those who need our children safer. the surge of bilateral interest and were not all solved when the JNF everything Israel has achieved with assistance to request it. Some of the Jewish day schools investment triggered by the Start-Up made “the desert bloom” 50 years ago. have commenced comprehensive pro - water is relevant “everywhere or to Once we make this shift, more sur - Nation movement is potentially a In fact, as Siegel points out, as recently vivors will be forthcoming in seeking tective behaviours programs for par - everyone”. In some water policy areas as 15 years ago, Israel faced severe our support. Let it be known that help ents, teachers and students. Tzedek is water shortages, and was about to Australia has planned well, as have is available, including from the Royal working with some of them in delivering import water from Turkey. other nations. Even so, Let There Be Commission, which is sitting until the a culturally relevant program, “Project J- Safe: Tots to Teens”. But we must cau - Fortunately, Israel decided against Water argues persuasively that some of end of 2017, or from Tzedek. And help what Israel has done can help to trans - is also available for those at risk of tion that policies cannot be a “set and that solution and, among a range of form the water story in every country. abusing. Abusers must be held forget” response; cultural change other initiatives, chose desalination. As you’d expect, Let There Be accountable for their past behaviours, needs to be ongoing. As quoted in Let There Be Water , At a societal level, we need to Water’s back cover carries praise from but we must also encourage potential Shimon Tal, a former Israel Water offenders and potential recidivists to endorse a new norm, one that encour - Tony Blair, Shimon Peres, Michael Commission director, sums up the reach out for help. ages standing up and speaking out. We Bloomberg, and Robert F Kennedy Jr. results.”We have gotten ahead of the When we accept that there is a can only truly accept responsibility for But the blurb that resonated was from climate change question. It isn’t just problem, we are then receptive to edu - the past and the future when we stand Ruhakana Rugunda, Uganda’s Prime together and know that we can count desalination, but with all this new cation. Minister: “ Let There Be Water is the When a child discloses, we must on each other’s support in protecting desalinated water added to everything expertly and movingly told story of accept that they are telling the truth (this our children. else we are doing, we are mostly how Israeli specialists and NGOs is overwhelmingly the case), and we As Hillel the elder said ”If I am not immune from adverse weather condi - must accept that even a trusted individ - for myself, who will be for me? And if I greatly helped many Africans gain am only for myself, what am I? And if tions. Droughts have plagued the access to clean water.” After the book, ual may commit a sex offence. We can only learn what to look for, and how to not now, when?” Middle East since the time of the not the movie, but the movement. Bible. Israel can now withstand even a respond with appropriate interventions, Dr Michelle Meyer is CEO Of Tzedek, long drought. Because of this, farmers Sam Lipski is chief executive of the Pratt when we accept that sexual abuse can www.tzedek.org.au occur within our own environment. Seth M Siegel’s new book. and businesses can plan ...” Foundation and a former editor of The AJN .

MEDIA WEEK ALLON LEE Adams’ radical agenda an Australian ally with common demo - tions on issues like settlements,” Walker people”, the editorial noted it is the 40th disturbing thing about these rules is that cratic values, are of little concern to “advised” Turnbull “to move Australia back anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s they intend to shame and stigmatise con - IN his Weekend Australian column “watchful spooks” because they don’t plot to a more neutral position on issues like infamous “anti-Semitic” resolution declar - sumers ... who, specifically, does the EU (28/11) Phillip Adams wrote, “It’s not new against or murder civilians to fulfil a viru - settlements and the legitimate aspirations ing “Zionism is racism” which was adopted think might be major European consumers for Australian security agencies to keep an lent anti-Western agenda. of the Palestinian people to be accorded on “10 November 1975: the same date of Israeli products? Especially kosher wine eye on radicalised teenagers ... The young some form of recognition at the UN”. Wow, that in 1938 saw the climax of the and foodstuffs from the agricultural have always been susceptible to the clar - Walker’s warning so wages, interest rates, deficits, same-sex German pogrom against the Jews, regions of the territories? A year after ion call.” This includes “... countless young marriage, climate change, and taxation Kristallnacht, signalling the start of the Kristallnacht, the Jews of Nazi Europe were Australian Jews [who] have headed to AUSTRALIAN Financial Review interna - tional editor Tony Walker warned (28/11) rank lower in “domestic politics” than “set - Holocaust”. Fast-forward to November marked with a similar label of shame, the Israel ... to fight Palestinians” but it “seems tlements”! Seriously ? 2015, and “in the midst of the ongoing yellow ‘Jude’ Star of David.” our increasingly worried, watchful spooks that despite past claims of “Jewish roots” by Malcolm Turnbull, “Jewish leaders Palestinian knife intifada” the EU is repli - The federal government should follow have no probs with this” unlike for “ISIS cating this “vilification” by insisting that the path set by its predecessor “in 1975 recruits”. First of all, contrary to Adams’ in this country should not necessarily Spectator spot-on anticipate business as usual.” Asserting IN contrast to Walker’s faith in the UN, the Israeli settlement goods be labelled “not [when] we proudly voted No to the claim of “countless” cases, the number of made in Israel”, even as “around the world ‘Zionism is racism’ UN resolution”, the Australian Jews who are not Israeli citizens that “no issue in Australian domestic poli - Spectator magazine (28/11) editorialised tics is as vexed as that of the Arab-Israel the exact opposite. Lambasting the UN’s there are literally hundreds of similarly dis - Spectator urged . who have served in the IDF is very low. But puted areas ... no other territory is subject more importantly, Australian Jews who dispute, none more sensitive than “corporate hatred” of and “unhealthy Australia’s responses to Israel’s provoca - obsession” with Israel and the “Jewish to the EU’s virtuous country of origin laws”. have served in the armed forces of Israel, According to the Spectator , “the most