We are excited to continue this segment where we introduce and feature individual members of the March of the Living Australia Committee of Management and get to know them better.
This month, we are excited to meet Alex Kats!
A little bit about Alex..... I am a keen traveller who has visited 39 countries at last count, and every Australian state and territory a number of times. I was recently selected to be part of an international Jewish leadership cohort, and if all goes to plan, I will be going to France in June 2022, though since I have been there before, I might try to stop somewhere new on the way.
Why did you want to join the MOTL Committee of Management?
I didn't become involved in MOTL Australia because my grandparents were survivors, but because I believe that it is only through education that we will avoid making and repeating the mistakes of the past. I have dedicated most of my adult life, both professionally and communally, to promoting equality and social justice, and working to create greater understanding. I am involved in many communal pursuits to that end, but also work for a company that is a B Corp with similar values.
What do you feel you can contribute to the organisation? I am a writer and creator by profession, and a student of history by choice. As such, I hope to be able to bring my passion for the Jewish community along with my professional expertise to the role. I have been communally active for many years and I hope to leverage some of that experience into this role, too.
What excites you about MOTL?
One of the countries I have not yet visited is Poland, so what excites me most is the opportunity to hopefully go on the March and visit Poland. Not only to see its tragic history, but also to celebrate the centuries of Jewish life that came before the Holocaust. My grandmother and all of her family for many generations came from Poland, and though they left before the War, they never forgot that they were Polish. I think sometimes we focus only on the war years and forget that there was a rich history of Jewish life that came before, so if I can somehow learn more about that and promote that, then that will make me happy.
What are you looking forward to most in 2022?
For MOTL, 2022 is a year of transition and preparation. While there will be no March this year, we are excited to start planning for the next March. We are also preparing for a time when there will be even fewer survivors, but that just means that the work of MOTL is even more important than ever, and that is what motivates me.