Academic Symposium 2025 announced.

Fighting antisemitism and changing the narrative: diplomacy, education, advocacy, and cultural engagement

In this update:

Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem Academic Symposium 2025
Directors’ Reports
Growing Pacific Wave of Indigenous Support for Israel
Reports from Israel, Canada and Australia
Recommended Reading

IEJ ACADEMIC SYMPOSIUM 2025

We are pleased to announce our Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem Academic Symposium 2025 to be held on 4 November at the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem.

We recognise that ideas birthed in academia eventually and inevitably penetrate politics, education, mainstream media, social media, church - and in fact most of the institutions of the West. For this reason we are dedicated to fighting the false narratives that cast Jews as foreign colonizers in their Indigenous lands by holding annual Symposia, along with other academic projects.

Please consider financially supporting IEJ in this vital venture.

Registration is now open for the Academic Symposium. We’re proud of our impressive line-up for this year and will announce our keynote speaker and further speakers shortly.

Among other important presentations will be:

The Fabrication of a History: The Palestinian narrative and the undermining of Jewish connection to the Land by Dr Michael Wechsler

Jewish Perceptions of Exile in the Wake of Postmodern Colonialism and Antisemitism by Dr Charles Asher Small

We’re grateful for the support of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy and Israel Institute of NZ.

DIRECTORS’ REPORTS:
DR SHEREE TROTTER

Sheree was honoured to speak at an Auckland event celebrating 77 years of Israel’s statehood and also at Limmud, the Jewish learning weekend.

Sheree Trotter, David Levy, Director Pacific Department, MFA, Israel, Alfred Ngaro.

HON ALFRED NGARO
Growing Pacific Wave of Indigenous Support for Israel

Alfred reports on his recent engagement with Christian leaders in the Pacific, from Tonga to Fiji to Hawaii. In a time of global uncertainty and shifting political alliances, a journey through the Pacific has revealed a powerful and inspiring truth: the heart of the Pacific still beats with deep faith, strong cultural identity, and unwavering support for Israel. Read more…

In Tonga, Alfred met with both tribal elders and government leaders who reaffirmed their commitment to stand with Israel.

Hawaiian Indigenous leaders expressed their unwavering support for the nation of Israel and its people.

In May, Sheree and Alfred were invited to an all-day hui (meeting) at the Te Rangimarie Marae, near Palmerston North, NZ.

They spoke on Israel, providing the context that is missing from the mainstream and social media sources. They were well received and there was interest in holding more such hui.

If you would like Alfred and/or Sheree to speak to your marae or iwi, please reach out. There’s no better way than discussing tough issues kanohi ki te kanohi - face to face. Contact: info@indigenousembassy.org

In our previous update we told you about Sheree’s two-part series on Settler Colonialism (view the videos below). Those videos had quite an impact and resulted in Sheree being invited to speak on various podcasts:

Michael Laws on The Platform
Simon O’Connor on Family First
Cam Slater on The Good Oil

“An article entitled, ‘Make No Mistake - there is no Indigenous support for Israel’ was published. It was a ‘hit piece’ on those Māori who support Israel…”

“Settler colonialism is a relatively recent political construct that seeks to dismantle the structures of nations it deems fit its model…”

Sheree also gave a presentation for the Classical Forum for Contemporary Issues.

The Classical Forum for Contemporary Issues was formed in the wake of the anti-Israel demonstrations sweeping through academia as a reaction to the massacre of Jews on October 7th and Israel’s response. The Forum brings to academic audiences voices that have been silenced or are rarely heard on campuses today and aims to provide a counter-weight to the numerous anti-Israel organizations that currently dominate academic discourse.

ISRAEL
Prof Wayne Horowitz

Professor Wayne Horowitz, co-convenor of Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem’s Academic Symposia, returned from his trip to Australia in time to bunker down and hide in bomb shelters through the intensity of the fighting with Iran.

He wrote the following report on his recent visits to Australia and New Zealand where he continued his research into the cuneiform tablet collections that reached these two southern lands from far away in time Assyrian and Babylonia, today’s Iraq.

…It is my hope that recognition of our indigenous status in the Land of Israel will be a major step forward in bringing peace to all the peoples of our region in a spirit of shared love for this little piece of land between the Jordan and the Sea.” To read more

CANADA

Report from Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation

“Alliances Are Everything”

Indigenous Canadians Lead the 2025 Walk with Israel, Expressing Unity with Jews, the Indigenous People of Israel

CAEF, which organized the itinerary for representatives of the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem and other Indigenous and Inuit Canadians, profusely thanks our Indigenous sisters and brothers for their friendship, allyship and enthusiastic participation at the 2025 Walk with Israel. Grand Chief Harvey Yesno, Chief and Pastor Reggie Neposh, Brian LaBounty, Rita BearGrey, Melodie Greyeyes, Gela Naqica, Lizzie Gordon, and Linda Price, along with Gavin Howell (Melodie’s husband), proudly marched in the 2025 Walk with Israel in a place of honour at the front of the parade.

CAEF hosted this group during their visit to Toronto, during which time they shared a Shabbat dinner at the home of Andria Spindel, Executive Director of CAEF, attended Shabbat services at Or Chayim Minyan, visited the Toronto waterfront and had dinner hosted by Avi Attali, VP of CAEF, toured the Nova Memorial Exhibition, consulted with Allied Voices for Israel, and were feted at a BBQ hosted by Vivienne Ziner and Glen Cohen.

Watch people dance and sing to 'Tel Aviv' song by Omer Adam.

FIRST NATIONS’ STATEMENTS

In May First Nations leaders issued a statement in cooperation with Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem responding to the ‘Joint statement from the leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom and France on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank’, which effectively rewards Hamas for the torture and murder of 1,200 innocent civilians on 7 October 2023 and the kidnapping of civilians. We urged the Canadian government to demand Hamas release the hostages and commit to a peaceful future and to increase its efforts to protect the Jewish people of Canada.

More recently, Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem also partnered with Allied Voices for Israel and the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation to urge Live Nation in Toronto and MRG Group in Vancouver to refuse to provide a space for the band Kneecap, which is scheduled to perform in October 2025. Kneecap has a history of promoting violence, intimidation and discrimination. Allowing them to play would not only be a violation of the peace treaties signed by First Nations leaders, but would openly glorify terrorism and hatred.

The statement has picked up media attention. We’re grateful to our First Nations family in Canada for their willingness to speak the truth - for when we speak the truth, we push back the darkness.

AUSTRALIA

We’re pleased to be partnering with Professor Gillian Gould, on a book project entitled “Stronger Together”.

It celebrates the stories of collaboration and identity between Indigenous Nations.

Professor Gillian Gould is a Public Health Researcher, a Tobacco Treatment Specialist and a GP in refugee health, who has been helping to improve the health of First Nations communities in Australia since 2004. Gould was a co-founder of the Refugee Health Clinic, Coffs Harbour in 2006 and is engaged as a part-time clinician. Gould is a Professor in Health Equity at Southern Cross University, Gold Coast Campus.

Gillian will be presenting her findings at the 2025 Academic Symposium in Jerusalem.

RECENT VISITS TO ISRAEL BY INDIGENOUS LEADERS

On his first visit to Israel, Canada’s first Indigenous appellate court justice Harry LaForme explained why he sees the Jewish state as an Indigenous triumph, not a colonial enterprise, in the article, An Anishinaabe Zionist on how Indigenous history is weaponized to promote antisemitism.

Former Olympian Nova Peris was recently in Israel with several other First Nations Australians as the missile attack from Iran was launched. She described the experience of bunkering down in a bomb shelter. She was also one of four global recipients of the Technion President's Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Fight Against Antisemitism. Congratulations Nova!

"I don't do what I do for recognition, I do it to stand up for the Jewish people, who have contributed so much to Australia and the world," Peris said.

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Fighting antisemitism and changing the narrative: diplomacy, education, advocacy, and cultural engagement

IEJ ACADEMIC SYMPOSIUM 2025

DIRECTORS’ REPORTS:DR SHEREE TROTTER

HON ALFRED NGAROGrowing Pacific Wave of Indigenous Support for Israel

ISRAELProf Wayne Horowitz