Media Releases

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council is both pleased and proud to congratulate Jeremy Jones, AM, on his receipt of the Stepan Kerkyasharian AO Harmony Award yesterday. The Kerkyasharian Harmony Award is NSW’s highest community medal, and is awarded annually to recognise “the contribution and achievement of an individual or organisation in facilitating and promoting social cohesion, understanding and acceptance between members of the differing cultural or faith communities in New South Wales.”

Mr. Jones, AIJAC’s Director of International and of Community Affairs and the Senior Contributing Editor of Australia/Israel Review, was given the award by NSW Premier Mike Baird at the annual Premier’s Harmony Dinner, in front of more than 1,400 people, at the Grand Pavilion in the Rosehill Gardens, Rosehill, last night. The citation noted his outstanding advocacy of multiculturalism, his international leadership in the fight against antisemitism, his pioneering work in interfaith dialogue, his decades of activity with Indigenous and many ethnic and religious communities and his commitment to human rights.

AIJAC’s National Chairman Mark Leibler, AC, said, “This is a richly deserved honour for Jeremy of which all of us at AIJAC are very proud.” AIJAC’s Executive Director Dr. Colin Rubenstein, AM, agreed, saying “Anyone who knows Jeremy or the role he performs understands that no one works harder or with more passion for inter-faith and inter-communal harmony than he does. He is an ornament, not only to AIJAC and the Australian Jewish community, but to Australian public life as whole.”

For additional information, contact AIJAC on (03)-9681-6660.