Jewish leaders from around Australia gathered at Central Synagogue in Sydney on Sunday where Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) president Jeremy Leibler implored those in attendance to “hold the centre”.

The ZFA Plenary conference brought together representatives of both ZFA constituents and other communal groups to discuss the issues facing the Jewish community and Israel, define what Zionism means in 2025 and inspire action for the year ahead.

“We’re always going to argue about politics, about policy, religion and identity. But what matters is whether we can face outwardly together, but still debate internally,” Leibler said.

“If leaning into Zionism means anything, it means doing two difficult things at the same time; we defend our people without apology, and we maintain the capacity for self reflection that makes us who we are.”

He added that “we cannot organise Jewish life around antisemitism”.