Ameinu – Hebrew for "Our People" – is a national, multi-generational community of progressive Jews. 

 

Recognizing the unbreakable bond between the Jewish people and Israel, as well as the commitment to make our own country better, we unite Australian Jews who seek opportunities to foster social and economic justice both in Israel and Australia.

 

We are progressive, liberal Zionists; proud Jews and proud Australians connected with, and committed to, the Jewish People through our shared history, culture and beliefs, our common language and our homeland, Israel. 

 

Our values – the pursuit of social justice, social equity, gender equality, pluralism and respect for each other, irrespective of personal orientation – are rooted in Jewish tradition. 

 

Our aim is to give full active expression to those values within our local community and in Israel. 

 

Ameinu and Australia

 

As active members of the Australian Jewish community we aspire to advance, enrich and secure our Jewish Communal future by: 

 

• Promoting broad based Jewish education, formal and informal, through support of our Zionist Youth and the involvement of Zionist youth leaders in informal education programs in Jewish and non-Jewish schools nationally;

• Encouraging tolerance and intercommunal dialogue;

• Confronting anti-semitism, discrimination, racism, intolerance and incitement to hatred; and

• Creating positive frameworks for engagement with all those who wish to be a part of our community. 

 

As Jewish Australians we seek to strengthen our ties with those on the Australian centre-left who are working to build a better, socially more equitable society for all Australians and all those arriving on our shores. 

 

Ameinu and Israel

 

As Zionists, we understand that a secure peace between Israel and its neighbours is essential to the survival of a democratic Jewish state. With this in mind, we build support within the Australian Jewish community for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

• Ameinu envisions Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, at peace with its neighbours, committed to religious pluralism, freedom of expression, gender equality, mutual respect and social and economic justice for all its citizens. 

• Ameinu supports efforts to end the Middle East conflict with a negotiated peace with the Palestinians and the Arab States; a negotiated peace which is built on a recognition of the legitimate national aspirations of both Peoples, Jews and Palestinians, each to their own homeland. 

 

• Ameinu will actively seek ways to build bridges between secular and religious; Jews and non-Jews; 

 

• Ameinu will fight against incitement to hatred in whatever context it appears; 

 

• We look forward to continuing our historic cooperation and identification with the activities and goals of the progressive forces in Israel which share these goals.  Through activities such as two-way missions, joint seminars and public forums, we will strengthen the current strong connections between Ameinu and Israeli political leadership, as well as with other Israelis who share our vision.