Courage to Care encourages individual acts of courage, social activism, action against apathy, a sense of empathy, a better understanding of history.

Chairman (NSW): ​Juliet Seifert
Chairman (Victoria): Tony Weldon 

Courage to Care is a major outreach program and travelling exhibition, designed to show people of all ages, all races and all persuasions that the individual can make a difference in a society which no longer cares, and that all of us has a personal responsibility to ourselves, our family and our community.

The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) is an Australian Jewish community organisation whose mission is to fight anti-Semitism and all forms of racism, combat the defamation of the Jewish people and Israel, and promote and cultivate respect and understanding between people of all religions and backgrounds.
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ADC Mission
We are a Jewish communal organisation that works to ensure a safe and fair society for Australians of all faiths and cultures by combating anti-Semitism and racism in all its forms.

Why we do what we do
Jewish communities have deep historical experience of hate and prejudice.  To counter anti-Semitism we need to challenge prejudice whenever it occurs, whether it is directed at Jews or at other minorities.

Since 1979 ADC has worked to prevent, understand and counter anti-Semitism and all forms of racism.  We  build bridges with people outside our community and educate others to respect difference. We work to create a society resistant to hate, both for ourselves and for others.
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Anti-Semitism is our top priority but we also act on other areas of racism. We aim to educate both the Jewish and general community about the dangers of racism. Victoria is our focus, but we are also appropriately engaged with Australian and international issues in consultation with other organisations.

The purpose of our commission is to:

• Raise money for charities and organisations in Israel that require financial assistance
• To raise awareness of needs in Israel amongst our members and increase their involvement and responsibilities.

This slide presentation was prepared for the District Convention in October 2013, and describes the projects supported by the Israel Commission

BBRV is the largest provider of affordable independent housing for Jewish Seniors in Australia operating since the 1960s.  BBRV currently controls two villages: Princess Gardens in Rose Bay and Kadimah Gardens in Wahroonga.

BBRV’s attention has been increasingly focused on assisting Jewish seniors living in rental stress through the provision of truly affordable and secure quality residential housing.

Rental stress occurs where the rent paid for residential accommodation takes up the majority of personal income leaving insufficient money to pay for even the most basic necessities of life, such as food, heating and medicine.

This situation is particularly prevalent in seniors with limited incomes who in many cases are forced to live in sub-standard accommodation such as basements, spare rooms and boarding houses with shared amenities.

Many of the Jewish Seniors suffering rental stress are pensioners while others like many of our parents were, recent arrivals with limited resources and family support, coming to Sydney in search of a better more secure life.

The consequences of property owners seeking to cash in on the recent Sydney property boom has seen many of our older residents being leveraged out of their long term residences, while others, struggling with unsustainable rental costs were forced to cut back on basic daily necessities.

Spiralling levels of enquiry over the last several years has led the BBRV Board to both significantly increase accessibility to accommodation and the level of financial support provided to Jewish Seniors in rental stress.

This support is delivered in the form of rental rebates with those assessed as requiring support  paying no more to live in BBRV villages than they would if they were housed in Public or Community housing.

In 2016 around 30% of the BBRV community received some level of support.  In recognition of the many Jewish Seniors seeking assistance the BBRV Board had in 2016 voted to increase support to $160,000 per annum.

In keeping with our mission BBRV will continue to support vulnerable Jewish seniors in our community through the provision of truly affordable independent residential accommodation.

Regards
 
Henry Wirth
Chairman
B'nai B’rith Retirement Villages Ltd

Chairperson: Yvonne Shapiro

The B'nai B'rith Syd Einfeld Unit is privileged to administer a scholarship trust through bequests from the Sir John Monash Unit and from Catherine Gluck, in memory of her brother, Frederick B. Lamberger.
 
Application is open to all Jewish students from K-12 and tertiary institutions.
 
The main criteria for selection are financial need, academic ability and contribution to the wider Jewish Community. The awards are made in $500 instalments for each semester and the student's situation is reviewed by the Scholarship Committee at the end of each semester.
 
In recent years we have assisted a medical student to graduation, a primary school student with learning difficulties to enable her have specialist remedial tuition, and a talented Fine Arts student to graduation.
 
The money allocated is used for textbooks, special materials, tuition, transport fares and even accommodation.

Potential applicants can contact the committee in writing, addressed to:

The Chairperson
Sir John Monash and Frederick B. Lamberger Scholarship Committee
B'nai B'rith
PO Box 6126
UNSW Sydney
NSW 1466

Chairman:  Tony Levy

The B'nai B'rith Parents Home (Vic) Inc owns 17 one bedroom flats and 2 two bedroom flats in Inkerman Rd, Caulfield. One of these is occupied by a resident Caretaker, the remaining flats are used as affordable independent living accommodation for older Jewish people.

We charge a reasonable ingoing fee and a small monthly maintenance fee. Some of our residents have been with us for many years and flats don't become available very often. The buildings were built in the 1960s and we are spending a large amount on their continuing maintenance.
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The Melbourne Parents Home is run by a hardworking and very capable committee of B'nai B'rith members.

Making a Difference is a project (of Melbourne Mitzvah Lodge) which has been running since 1996.  In that time we have raised some $150,000 from our members and their friends and given away bursaries to 219 Year 11 & 12 Jewish financially disadvantaged students to the end of 2015.  Usually our money is raised by our members when they have simchas and request that their friends make a donation to 'Making a Difference' instead of bringing a gift, or other happy or sad occasions.  Sometimes members give donations for no reason at all!  Sometimes the Executive give us a donation to cover a bursary or Melbourne Mitzvah Lodge has a function during the year for us.

We have no administration costs and every dollar received is used for these bursaries.  We only accept requests from school welfare co-ordinators.  In 2015, we received requests from 8 schools who nominated some 18 students for 2016.  After careful and lengthy deliberations, the committee decided to award 13 bursaries to the amount of $14,000.  11 were for amounts of $1000 each and the two most needy students received $1500 each, i.e. for the Sylvia Klein Bursary and the Herbert & Viva Leder Bursary both named in honour of long serving, much loved but deceased members of our committee.

​We would be delighted to receive donations from people outside our Lodge should they wish to support our wonderful work.

You are welcome to make a direct deposit or forward cheques to:

B'nai B'rith office
71 Kooyong Rd., Caulfield North, 3161
(please mark cheques 'Making a Difference' )

Or email me directly at melb.mitzvah.makingadifference@gmail.com

Bette
​Hon. Secretary
MAKING A DIFFERENCE GROUP
B'nai B'rith Melbourne Mitzvah Lodge

Attention: Jewish Students

Whether we are happy or sad, it is our responsibility to assist others less fortunate through Tzedakah. For 20 years Making a Difference has been dedicated to fulfilling this Mitzvah by providing assistance for financially disadvantaged Jewish students. We need your help to raise money so that we can ensure all Jewish students can have access to education.

Donate Now
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Account Name:      B’nai Brith  Charitable Trust
BSB:     013017
Account Number:      900128923

Include Reference:  MAD + surname/name of special occasion

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The B’nai B’rith Alfred Dreyfus Anti-Defamation Unit and JNF Australia are honouring individuals in our community who have made a difference – in the process inspire others to get involved.