Tag: First Nations people

May God bless you!

ISRAEL WE CARE CAMPAIGN

We want to thank Canberra Declaration and those who helped sponsor our trip. You share in the fruits of our work. We will be on Canberra Declaration Monday night 17/11/25 to give thanks, a report and pray. King David established this rule in 1 Samuel 30:24
 ^“Who will listen to what you say? The share (reward) of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”

We also thank the Lord for the opportunity to comfort His people as in Isaiah 40:1
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”

and Isaiah 40: 9 “You who bring good news to Zion,
    go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
    lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
    say to the towns of Judah,
    ‘Here is your God!'”
 
Israel has been isolated and unjustly made a pariah on the world stage. Hamas and Gazans committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7 2023 – the burning of babies, the raping of women in the most barbaric manner, the killing of children in front of their parents, the murder and torture of parents in front of their children, and the kidnapping of babies and the elderly including Holocaust survivors. Those hostages have been starved and abused and kept in Gazan tunnels and forced to dig their own graves. Israel was vilified before it even retaliated. Note the protests at the Sydney Opera House on October 9, 2023.

The people of Israel have been vilified. Israel has had to face the charge of genocide from the UN for defending itself, has been taken to the International Court of Justice and delegates walked out on Prime Minister Netanyahu at the United Nations. Hamas has won the propaganda war by using civilians as human shields and using hospitals, schools, residential areas, mosques and even the UN offices as Hamas headquarters. If Israel wanted to commit genocide, the war would have been over in a week instead of 2 years. Israel warns civilians and provides safe routes to relocate from the war zones. Hamas tries to prevent Gazans from escaping harm. Israel is also one of the most ethical nations worldwide and is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is defending western values.

So, what can we do? Apart from providing advocacy and running a school and a public education program, we at Indigenous Friends of Israel International provide comfort for Jewish people who are feeling under attack, isolated and fearful. We also provide support to the Jewish state and people of Israel via two projects:

1. The presentation of a big boomerang made and painted by Munganbana Norman Miller personally to the state of Israel in Jerusalem in November 2025.
2. The presentation by Norman Miller to the government of Israel of A Declaration of Solidarity with Israel from the Indigenous and Diverse Communities of the Pacific Rim. It can be found here https://indigenousfriendsofisrael.org/sign-the-declaration/
3. Provide Indigenous representation from Australia at the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem events in November 2025

Whether you support the government of Israel or all its actions is not the issue. The issue is this is an existential battle for the survival of the Jewish state with Hamas, which still has a lot of support in Gaza, vowing to do October 7 over and over again till the state of Israel is eliminated “from the river to the sea” and all Jews in Israel killed or removed. We must stand with and provide comfort and support to Israel and its people at this critical time.

The Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem is held meetings in Jerusalem 4-5 November 2025 and there Indigenous people attended from around the world. So, this was perfect timing for Indigenous people worldwide to express support for Israel and its people. 

Imagine how heartening it was for Israelis to find that Indigenous people have their arms wrapped around them with these gifts of the boomerang and the Declaration and the message that we care. You are not alone.

Ps Munganbana Norman took the opportunity to apologise for the hostile attitude of the Australian government towards Israel and assure the Minister of the Knesset that there were many Indigenous people and many Christians who support Israel.

Holding the boomerang and declarations – Barbara and Norman Miller, Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel Hon Sharren Haskel, Dr Sheree Trotter, co-founder of Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem, Debra Harding-Morris and David Morris. Norman presented a declaration of support for Israel from Indigenous People of the Pacific Rim and Debra presented a declaration on behalf of One New Man Council Australia. Both declarations were framed.

WHAT IS MEANING OF ARTWORK ON BOOMERANG?

Aboriginal pastor and artist Munganbana Norman Miller issued a press release on 31/10/25 before the boomerang was gifted to the Israel government and again afterwards. J-Wire and Australian Jewish News printed them and in the first one, Munganbana Norman explains the meaning of the painting:

“We want to say we care. You are the Indigenous people of Israel and you are our family. I have Jewish and Aboriginal designs on the boomerang with the Star of David in the centre. This is the meaning of the painting on the boomerang:

“This boomerang represents Indigenous peoples with earthy colours surrounding Israel, represented in the centre by the Star of David, in love, protection and blessing. Dot painting is often used in Australian Aboriginal art and it also represents here “the islands will look to Me” (Isaiah 60:9) signifying the remotest parts of the earth bringing honour to the Jewish people. We want to say with this boomerang that no matter what the world says, ‘we care and we stand with you. You are not alone.’ We honour the spiritual fathers and mothers of the land of Israel, our spiritual home.

We recognise you as Indigenous to the land of Israel just as we Indigenous people are Indigenous to our lands. Boomerangs were weapons for hunting and warfare and so this boomerang signals that we will fight for you to keep the land from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea that Hashem ordained for you.

There is a scripture on the left of the boomerang Amos 9:11-15 because Hashem restored Israel, the tabernacle of David and Israel will never again be uprooted from the land Hashem gave you. On the right side is Psalm 122. Not only do we pray for the peace of Jerusalem and say peace be within you but our feet are glad to stand in the gates of Jerusalem and our tribes of the nations join the tribes of Israel and go up to worship Hashem.”

https://www.jwire.com.au/a-boomerang-for-israel/
https://www.australianjewishnews.com/a-gift-for-israel/

Many wonderful speakers at NAIN Canberra event including Warren Nyunggai Mundine and Mike Kelly. Supporters attended despite the rain. Thanks to organisers for their hard work.

A very touching event organised by the Israel Embassy at the ACT Jewish Community Centre Oct 26 to remember Oct 7. Lett to right – Ambassador His Excellency Amir Maimon, Jewish community members including Alan Shroot on right, Deborah O’Neill and Dave Sharma of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel lighting candles after speaking as did all the speakers. Beautiful songs and touching video for the occasion. We will miss Ambassador Amir whose term is coming to an end. It has been a tough time for an Israeli ambassador in Australia with an Australian government continually criticizing Israel. 

As well attending this event, we attended an event organised by NAIN at the ACT Jewish Centre the following night with excellent speakers – Mike Kelly, Alan Shroot and Dave Sharma.

We were pleased to attend the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem events in Israel and are gathered here with First Nations people from Canada, Alaska, Australia and NZ with organiser Dr Sheree Trotter on the left. After some drumming and dancing, the march went to the Western Wall. We were joined by Emeritus Professor Wayne Horowitz and some other Israelis. 

First Nations shared with our group at the Kotel or Western Wall. Then Barbara went to the wall to pray. Norman talked to the IDF. Photo here of Shelly, Ina, Norman, Barbara and Loretta Glanville from the Torres Strait and a local Israeli with the boomerang. Loretta gave a wonderful talk at the Academic Symposium.

There were excellent presentations by all the speakers with Dr Michael Wechsler giving an excellent talk on  settler colonialism and the Palestine question and Dr Charles Small an excellent talk on combatting antisemitism for example. Photo – Nova Peris OAM OLY, an Aboriginal Australian received a standing ovation and is pictured here with co-organiser and speaker Dr Sheree Trotter. Emerituis Professor Wayne Horowitz, co-organiser also spoke with both he and Sheree giving excellent presentations. 

Professor Gillian Gould from Australia spoke of her upcoming book on Indigenous and Jewish collaboration which will feature Norman Miller and international examples. All presentations will be available on the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem website.

Left- We travelled to an army base where two First Nations bands (Alaska and Canada) did a combined performance of drumming, dancing and singing to guitars and drums. The bands were Broken Walls and Okama. Melodie Greyeyes, pictured here, was the group leader and one of the dancers. This was the same group that joined the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem in a march from the Jaffa Gate to the Kotel.

They did an engaging show and Norman and I were able to share briefly. I had a dream the night before I should share about William Cooper, an Australian Aboriginal who led a protest against Kristallnacht in 1938 while his people were still not citizens and couldn’t vote so I did. I also shared about the Australian Lighthorse and the ANZACS, including Indigenous soldiers, whose blood was shed in the soil of Israel to help bring freedom to the Jewish people. 

Right – Ps Avi Mizrachi and Barbara at Alfie Menashe in Samaria. Avi and Chaya Mizrachi showed us, and a visiting rabbi and his wife from the USA, around and we had an enjoyable meal together at Kfar Sava before going to their wonderful congregational service in Tel Aviv – Dugit. 

We travelled along Route 232 which runs the length of the Gaza border, connecting the kibbutzim along the Strip and then crossing into Sderot. It is the road Hamas and Islamic Jihad used on Oct 7 to slaughter Israelis including those fleeing. It is a tale of horror with shelters along the road as memorials to those killed in shelters like the one on the left at Kfar Aza where burnt out candles cover the floor and faces and tributes to the dead cover the walls.

The picture on the right is a memorial at Kfar Aza with the names of those killed on each side of the pebble path. 78 people were killed here and 19 kidnapped. It was heart-breaking. Yellow flags have been erected along the road.

Kibbutz Be’eri was attacked also with 136 killed and 32 kidnapped. The Israelis are living behind barbed wire but Hamas cut the fence to attack them. Many houses were burnt or damaged and still need repair. JNF planted a forest there after the massacre of Oct 7. We lost our son unexpectedly on Jan 27 2024, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Trudi Arnold on behalf of NAIN Sydney planted a tree for our son Michael and for Norman and I as well and it happened to be in this forest. It was a great comfort to know that when we had his funeral. So we prayed on site for our son and for the unspeakable loss of life that Israelis and some from other nations suffered on Oct 7. 

We were hesitant to take photos at the Nova Music Festival site as it is the site of such a horrific massacre of Oct 7 so we didn’t take many. However an army commander we met at Kfar Aza showing the memorial sites to his family was touched that we cared and asked us to follow him. HIs family said they were touched also and Norman gave him a hug. We followed them to Be’eri and then had to visit the forest so didn’t follow him to Nova. 

The Nova site has become a national memorial and there were a large number of Israelis there paying their respects. Families have built touching and elaborate memorials. The tribute to his young man from his family was especially touching. 
 
We then went on to Ashkelon with our hosts Chaya, Arik and OrEl and then onto the airport for our trip home being met by Avi to be waved off. We thank them greatly for the special time we had with them.

A Declaration of Solidarity with Israel from the Indigenous and Diverse Communities of the Pacific Rim

Note – Though this declaration has been given to the Israel government, we are still collecting signatures so please forward this to Indigenous people and groups to sign.

We recognize the Jewish people as the Indigenous stewards of the land of Israel, their ancestral homeland, where their history, culture, and spiritual legacy have been rooted for millennia. This indigeneity resonates deeply with our own connections to land, tradition, and resilience, forging a sacred bond between our communities and the Jewish people. We honor Israel not only as a homeland but as a beacon of morality, kindness, and grace—a nation that exemplifies the highest standards of humanity in the face of unparalleled challenges.

Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Rim not only have a shared indigeneity with Jewish people but the shared experience of tribal societies, close family relations, attachment to land and closeness to nature. We also have shared experiences of colonisation, dispersion, ethnic cleansing, persecution, discrimination, marginalisation, trauma and the need for resilience.

Despite this, our cultures and spirituality remain strong. We applaud the Jewish people that they have been able to retain their religion and culture, revive their language and decolonise their land with the rebirth of the state of Israel in 1948 forming the only democracy in the Middle East. See more https://indigenousfriendsofisrael.org/sign-the-declaration/

Gofundme for Schools Antisemitism Education

There is currently no dedicated, age-appropriate antisemitism education in Australian primary schools—only optional anti racism or holocaust or multicultural education. Please help us while we continue to develop this and work on its implementaton. See HERE

Our expert curriculum writer Shoshana Linnane has developed 10-week modules for Grades 1-2 and 5-6. These lessons use the story of a 7-year-old Jewish refugee girl from the kindertransport during World War II to help children understand what it means to be displaced, excluded, or vulnerable. The modules foster empathy, compassion, and respect for diversity through activities like art, music, and drama, and align with the national curriculum. We want all children to grow up in safe, inclusive communities where they learn to treat others fairly and without discrimination.

If you believe in building a future where every child feels valued and racism has no place, please consider supporting our fundraiser. Even a small contribution or sharing this opportunity to help would make a difference.

Please get involved! We need your help!

We would love to connect with you and help you support Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, working against calls for its destruction and the genocide of its people. These calls are advancing at great pace since October 7. Indigenous Friends of Israel formed in July 2017 because of concerns over Australia’s policy towards Israel. Since then we have gone international as antisemitism is international and is an ancient hatred. The forces standing against Israel also oppose Western and/or Judeo-Christian values which have helped us achieve a society with social cohesion and the rule of law.

Please help us take a stand against antisemitism, and for a community where all are valued and safe.  There are many opportunities to use your passion, gifting and skills as a volunteer whether you are a person of faith or not.  United we stand and divided we fall. Please complete the form to volunteer.

Are you good at creating or sharing social media, fundraising, administration, film and video making, government advocacy, newsletters, speaking, representing a geographical area, organising zoom meetings or do you have other giftings or talents that you can use to bless the Lord, the Jewish people, and Israel. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, you can get involved. Check it out here.

Donations to the ministry of the Centre for International Reconciliation & Peace
BSB: 064804 Account no: 14069302 Swift code: ctbaau2s

Commonwealth of Australia Bank, 120 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
Donations to Pastors Account BSB: 064804 Account no: 14258760

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