Peta Jones Pellach
Director of Educational Activities

Peta Jones Pellach is an educator with expertise in adult education and dialogue facilitation. She served in senior positions in Sydney’s Jewish schools before making her career in Adult Education in 1997. Until Feb 2010, she was Director of Adult Education at The Shalom Institute, University of NSW, Sydney, and was the educator-in-residence. She conducted classes for the informal sector and the University of Sydney on the weekly Torah portion, Jewish Civilization & Culture, Biblical Studies, Jewish Studies Teaching Method and Arab-Israeli Conflict. Innovations under her leadership included the introduction of professionally-crafted programs of regular adult learning (Melton) and cross-generational community-wide learning ‘experiences’ (Limmud-Oz). She was a key player in inter-faith dialogue in Australia including in the Women’s Interfaith Network, the (Australian) Uniting Church-Jewish Dialogue, the Jewish ‘conversation’ with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims and Jews. In 2004 and 2006 she was a member of the Australian delegation to the Regional Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation, in Indonesia and the Philippines respectively. Her academic qualifications include BA (UNSW), Masters in International Affairs (Columbia University, NY), Jerusalem Fellow (1989-91).  Publications include ‘Human Rights, Religion & Gender –Jewish Perspective’ for the Australian Human Rights Commission (2010), ‘Without Prejudice – A Handbook for Teachers’ (2009);  We Offer Thanks in ‘Mosaic: Favourite Prayers and Reflections from Inspiring Australians’ (2008) Interfaith Dialogue and Israel   and Adult Education (co-authored with Paul Forgasz) in ‘New Under the Sun’ (2006), The Contribution of Nehama Leibowitz in the Journal of Studies of Religion (Aus), (2006). In June 2010, she joined Elijah to develop the work of the Educational Network.  

Email: peta(at)elijah-interfaith.org