“IT'S NOT ‘PLAY’ TIME... IT'S ‘BE-SAFE’ TIME!”
An important Community message from Professor Paul Zimmet AO
2018 Senior Victorian Australian of The Year
Dear Community
As 2018 Senior Victorian Australian of The Year, one of my commitments was to work together with community organisations. In late 2018, this responsibility lead to me joining the Advisory Board of Maccabi LIFE.
Right now, I cannot think of a more important time or opportunity than working together with Maccabi and the Australian Jewish community to help mitigate the serious threat that Coronavirus (COVID-19) presents to us all.
I commend Maccabi for calling a ‘TIME-OUT’ nationally across the organisation and responsibly putting the health and safety of our community first. They have set a strong example for all organisations, bodies, associations and other communities to follow.
Maccabi has a deep reach into our community, and I am delighted about their swift response to the current health crisis we all face together. Maccabi is working closely with leading health professionals and Jewish Community Taskforces around the country to get vital information out to you quickly – “All-In-One-Place”.
The – MaccabiUpdates.com – website was originally published last week as a resource for Maccabi members. Maccabi is committed to ensuring that our community stays “connected” by supporting all Australian Jewish Organisations with a platform to communicate their important messages to you. It is important for all of us to recognise that these are very ‘SERIOUS’ times and that COVID-19 is a Monumental Threat to our Nation and worldwide. Our Community Organisations must all work together in unison, always putting the health and well-being of our families and wider community first.
Personal ‘Isolation’ creates a need for ‘Strong Community Collaboration’.
As a practicing medical professional for over 50 years, and as an active member of our Jewish community, I cannot express strongly enough how important it is to follow the simple guidelines set out on this website. It is one of the best Community sites I have seen to date and it provides important information on COVID-19 and links you directly to our Government Health Departments and other Community organisations. It contains a plethora of general and more specific information for you and your family around a wide range of COVID-19 related topics including hygiene, isolation, Maccabi Club Updates, parental guides for talking with kids and general Health & Wellness resources from Maccabi LIFE. It is and will continue to be a vital resource for our community over the coming months.
Do not underestimate how critical this site is to the health and safety of our community. The information in front of your eyes ‘will save lives’. Those lives could be your own, your child, a family member, friend or colleague, or a complete stranger.
The message from our Federal and State Governments is now ‘loud and clear’, social isolation and responsibility are our best defences against the spread of Covid-19.
I urge you to follow the 5 life saving actions of the ‘MACCABI COMUNITY SHIELD’ campaign:
- Visit the site and watch the video on COVID-19 and the rationale for social isolation. View not once, but twice!
- Share the link to the www.MaccabiUpdates.com website with family & friends to stay informed & keep connected.
- Promote and practice the Government guidelines on Hygiene & Social Responsibility listed on the website.
- Be kind to one another and show respect to all.
- Visit the Maccabi LIFE section on the website for ways to stay active and practice good ‘health & well-being’ at all times.
Alongside fellow health professionals, I will be working together with Samuel Strunin – Chair of the Maccabi National Marketing Committee and Director of Marketing & Branding for Maccabi Victoria, to advise Maccabi during the crisis and assist them in any way I can. Through this website, we will bring our entire community important information about COVID-19 whenever it becomes available to us.
As an Honorary President of the International Diabetes Federation, I will share with you some important information on COVID-19 and diabetes in the coming weeks on the Maccabi LIFE pages here on this website.
Again, before signing off, I ask you for your own safety and that of us all that you please PRACTICE AND PROMOTE the ‘MACCABI COMUNITY SHIELD’ to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 across our Nation.
Along with my Maccabi colleagues, I urge you all to stay safe and remain active, but most importantly be socially responsible and follow the Government guidelines.
With Maccabi Greetings
Prof. Paul Zimmet AO
Maccabi PROUD!
