Jews. A name that provokes love and hate. For others it evokes paranoia and fear. Yet Jews have created some of the most amazing and uplifting works of art, music, prose, poetry, architecture, motion pictures, legislation, philosophy, science and lore the world has ever seen. The world has been greatly enriched because of their existence.
Nevertheless controversy has never strayed far from their door. Their reputation is both legendary and mythical. They have been lauded, respected, feared, parodied, demonised, persecuted, murdered and slaughtered. Few people groups evoke such high feelings and consequently it is difficult to sort fact from innuendo.
Friends. Friends stand up for one another in difficult situations, speak up for one another when the other is slandered, meet and greet each other with mutual affection and respect; enjoy one another’s company and speak the truth to each other even when it hurts.
The NZ Friends of Israel Association, Inc was formed to be a friend. It does so by:
- Fighting prejudice and intolerance; and
- Reducing acts of racism, prejudice and intolerance in New Zealand
through raising awareness of Jewish history and culture.
Our membership is a mix of the irreligious, Christians, Observant Jews, ethnic Jews, and non-Jews all united by our desire to fight racial prejudice.
We believe a significant amount of racial prejudice is born from ignorance and false presuppositions. Many lessons can be drawn from the history and culture of the Jewish people which can help multicultural societies live in harmony today.
NZ Friends of Israel is a registered charity (CC43880) under the Charities Act (2005).
Recent activities include:
- Fighting Secular anti-Semitism by
- Organising talks and interviews of travelling israelis through New Zealand
- Sponsoring events that expose NZ society to Jewish history & culture such as
- Hanukkah in the Park in Auckland
- Open day at the Canterbury Hebrew congregation
- Fighting Christian anti-Semitism by reconnecting Christians with the Jewish roots of the bible through
- Investing in bible study materials on the Historical Jesus for Christians to borrow for their churches and home groups; these bible study materials help Christians to understand Jesus through knowing more about his Jewish culture and language.
- Establishing a panel of speakers that Churches can draw on to speak about Israel and the Bible.
- Sausage sizzles outside hardware stores
- Bringing Holocaust Survivors to NZ to tour secondary schools telling their stories.
- Encouraging New Zealanders to host Israeli backpackers and travellers in their homes.
