Standing Tall Together
Standing Tall Together | President Herzog’s Visit to Australia
This past week, our community experienced something that is difficult to capture in words, yet impossible to ignore in feeling.
The visit of His Excellency President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog to Australia was more than a diplomatic tour.
It was communal.
It was defining.
And it met us exactly where we are, reminding us of who we are.
Across every gathering, every address, every handshake and embrace, there was a palpable sense of pride. Not performative pride, but grounded pride. The kind that comes from standing tall in your identity, not shrinking it.
There was a euphoria in the air. A sea of blue and white. A visible, unashamed expression of Jewish peoplehood and of our enduring connection to the State of Israel.
For many in our community, particularly after the challenges and hostility of recent years, this visit felt like a collective exhale.
A reminder that the Jewish community is not cancelled.
That our connection to Israel is not conditional.
That our identity is not up for negotiation.
It cannot be rewritten by protestors, by detractors, or by those who have sought to incite division and hatred against our people.
Our story has never been authored by others. It is written by us. And it continues.
What stood out most powerfully throughout the visit was not only the warmth extended to the President and First Lady, but the strength reflected back.
Strength in the crowds who gathered proudly.
Strength in the community leaders, students and families who showed up.
Strength in the visible presence of the next generation.
Young people waving flags.
Students leaning in to listen.
Emerging leaders stepping forward with confidence in their Jewish and Zionist identity.
They were not standing on the sidelines. They were at the centre of it.
And that matters deeply.
Because the true measure of communal resilience is not only how we respond to challenges, but whether our young people feel proud enough to inherit the mantle.
This week, they did.
President Herzog spoke not only of Israel’s strength, but of Jewish peoplehood. Of the unbreakable bond between Israel and the Diaspora. Of the responsibility we carry for one another across oceans and continents.
First Lady Michal Herzog brought a complementary depth to the visit. Her presence, empathy and focus on the human dimension of leadership reminded us that the ties between Israel and world Jewry are built not only through statecraft, but through shared care, responsibility and lived experience.
Together, they reflected leadership grounded in connection.
This visit also served as an important reaffirmation of the enduring relationship between Australia and Israel.
A relationship built on democratic values, innovation, partnership and mutual respect, strengthened further through people-to-people ties and community engagement.
At a time when public discourse can feel fractured, and when our community has faced heightened hostility, this visit sent a clear message of solidarity and recognition.
And yet, perhaps the most powerful message was the one that did not need to be spoken aloud.
It was felt in the standing ovations.
Felt in the songs sung together.
Felt in the emotion that moved through rooms filled with generations of Australian Jews who understood the historic weight of the visit.
We were reminded that Jewish life here in Australia is vibrant. It is proud. It is unafraid.
We are not retreating inward. We are standing outward.
Connected to Israel.
Connected to one another.
And confident in the future we are building together.
This week was not only about a presidential visit.
It was about communal renewal.
A reaffirmation that our identity remains strong, visible and enduring.
We stand tall.
We stand strong.
And we stand, as we always have, bound to our history, our people and our homeland.
Shabbat Shalom,
Elyse Schachna
President, Zionism Victoria
Explore photos from President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia, capturing moments of solidarity, leadership and connection with the Jewish community. Click here.
Read More
Subscribe to our newsletter
Stay informed, inspired and connected with what’s happening across Zionism Victoria.