On Wednesday, 27 August, a lunch was hosted at Parliament House, Victoria, which was the first in a series of events to mark the 40th anniversary of CCJ Vic. The lunch was co-hosted by Jewish MPs David Southwick and Paul Hamer, and was an intimate gathering of some of the longtime friends and supporters of CCJ. Archdeacon Dr Colleen O’Reilly AM, co-Chair of the CCJ (Vic), said that it was a “great privilege for us to be in this place,” and that celebrating our 40th year is important because it “gives us an opportunity to mark our achievements in dialogue and in interfaith relations.” 

The lunch was addressed by Tony Lupton, a former member of Parliament who was raised Catholic, and Julie Szego, a former Age journalist and well-known writer, who is Jewish. They are also a married couple, and they spoke about their upbringings, their faith journeys and what binds them together, especially now. It was a surprising and interesting conversation in a historic place to celebrate and honour a small but powerful and necessary community organisation. 

Watch the event here on YouTube