Jewish Community Council of Victoria

One reputable analysis of the Census figures estimates that 60,080 Jews live in Victoria, constituting 1.2% of the total Victorian population.

Victoria's Jewish population has continued to grow due to immigration from the former Soviet Union, South Africa, Israel and New Zealand.

There was a desire for a unified representative voice for the community since the 1880s, but it was a visit from Chief Rabbi Hertz in 1921 that was the trigger for the formation of the organization, where he convinced a number of prominent Melbourne Jews of its need.

The membership of the resulting Melbourne Jewish Advisory Board (MJAB), was drawn from the three major synagogue congregations.

In 1936, the secular Judean League, the Yiddishist Kadimah and the Victorian Zionist Organisation pushed MJAB to form a new constitution which would allow input from the non-Orthodox communities.

At a meeting on May 7, 1948, delegates to the VJAB agreed formally to rename and reconstitute themselves as the Victorian Jewish Board of Deputies (VJBD).

Their affiliates represent a range of religious, political, cultural, welfare, educational and social associations.

[10] The JCCV has also been heavily criticised for its failure to tackle key communal issues, such as drug and alcohol abuse,[11] the rise of the far right, soaring costs of Jewish living, and the refusal to engage in meaningful public advocacy to extradite accused paedophile, former [Addas] Principal, Malka Leifer.

The JCCV did significantly strain their relations with the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) due to its invitation of anti-Islam academic Daniel Pipes to address the community.

Pipes is noted by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an "anti-Muslim extremist"[14] and his presence caused the ICV to cancel their official partnership in the annual Jewish Muslim Comedy Debate, and they temporarily broke off all contact with the JCCV.