Home – J-Wire

ABC and SBS called before Antisemitism Royal Commission over Middle East reporting

News J-Wire News Service - 29/06/2026

Senior representatives of the ABC and SBS are expected to appear before the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion as it examines allegations...

World

Newly identified mechanism may pave the way for hearing restoration

A team at Tel Aviv University has identified a biological mechanism that could pave...

News

Steven Lowy urges dedicated police units to protect Jewish Australians

Prominent Jewish businessman Steven Lowy has urged every state and territory to establish a...

News

Jewish girl feels safer in Israeli bomb shelter than in Australia

Australian Jewish families have described their experiences of online and antisemitic hatred to a...

News

Jewish groups welcome Israel-Lebanon agreement but say Hezbollah disarmament is critical

The Zionist Federation of Australia and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council have welcomed...

News

High profile barrister urges Royal Commission to confront institutional antisemitism

Non-Jewish Melbourne barrister Philip Crutchfield KC has urged the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and...

News

Al-Qaeda affiliate glorifies Bondi massacre and calls for copycat attacks

A Yemen-based affiliate of Al-Qaeda has glorified the Bondi Beach massacre and urged supporters...

News

Hamas crushes ‘Peaceful Revolution’ protests in Gaza

Hamas clamped down on Gazans on Friday for attempting to protest against its rule...

News

Israel, Lebanon sign US-brokered framework agreement

Israel, Lebanon and the United States signed a framework agreement and security annex on...

News

Teachers’ union moves to address holocaust denial and antisemitism in NZ classrooms

New Zealand's secondary teachers' union is developing new guidance for educators following reports of...

News

Man sentenced over antisemitic death threats to Albanese and Minns

A West Australian man who sent an antisemitic message threatening to assassinate Prime Minister...

News

Jewish life makes news every day

Jewish life makes news every day. Sometimes it is inspiring. Sometimes it is confronting. Sometimes...

News

Jewish woman alleges antisemitic abuse at Vodafone store

A disabled elderly Jewish woman has alleged she was subjected to antisemitic abuse and...

Bankstown nurses ruling is no vindication

Elliot Vesely -

The decision to exclude the viral Bankstown nurses video is a serious setback for the prosecution. However, it is not...

Feintooner

Feintooner -

This week's cartoon: Ending the Occupation

Female guards and Nazi brutality

Anne Sarzin -

Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin It took courage and endurance for historian N. Koster to research and write Female Guards of Nazi Brutality; and...

On the other hand

Michael Kuttner -

Several of Israel's rare and endangered species have begun producing seeds and flowering once again as a result of a joint conservation effort, Keren...

Moral masochism and New York’s Jews

Ben Cohen - JNS.org -

“The true masochist,” wrote Sigmund Freud, “always turns his cheek when he has a chance of receiving a blow.” “The true masochist,” wrote Sigmund Freud,...

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of), now in Melbourne and touring Australia

Alex First -

A theatre review by Alex First A glorious spoken and sung hoot, this is an audacious retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Just what would author Jane...

Shooting from the lip

Michael Kuttner -

Instead of the “sheriff” in the White House shooting from the hip and making the outlaw gangs surrender, he is shooting from the lip...

Nationalism and Liberalism

Jeremy Rosen -

I have always enjoyed reading Yuval Harari (Sapiens, Homo Deus and Nexus). He is creative and controversial. He covers such a wide range of anthropology,...

Bye-bye Bibi: May it happen speedily and in our times

Menachem Rosensaft -

In a profanity-filled telephone conversation last September, according to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in their new book, Regime Change: Inside the...

Alarm bells go off in New York

Melanie Phillips - JNS.org -

Extreme socialism is now on the march in America, with the demonisation of Israel as the principal weapon in its arsenal. Claire Valdez, Brad Lander...

Are Jewish Australians being given answers?

Michael Gencher -

There is a question hanging over the Australian Jewish community: when something happens that shocks us, frightens us or confirms what we have been...

The JD Vance foreign policy test ride is a disaster

Jonathan S. Tobin - JNS.org -

Whether he succeeds in getting a “peace” agreement with Iran or not, the vice president’s attempt at appeasement isn’t going to help him or...

Into the fray: Et tu, Donald?

Martin Sherman -

Iran: Has Trump lost the plot? The floated proposal makes no sense. Worse, it is dangerous. It would reward a maniacal regime not for reforming,...

Shabbat Chukat & Balak

Jeremy Rosen -

Alone There are two portions of the Torah that we, in the diaspora, will read this Shabbat. After the crisis initiated by the reports of the...

The search for Sydney’s missing Steinway

J-Wire News Service -

What happened to the Steinway concert grand that once stood on the stage of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, carrying a plaque from...

Have You Heard?

The search for Sydney’s missing Steinway

Have You Heard? J-Wire News Service -

What happened to the Steinway concert grand that once stood on the stage of the Sydney Opera House Concert...

Can memories pass from one generation to the next?

Sydney Jewish Writers Festival takes stories from page to stage

Books J-Wire Newsdesk -

The Sydney Jewish Writers Festival will move beyond the printed page this August with the launch of Festival of...

Lecture: Is free will an illusion?

Have You Heard? -

That question will sit at the heart of a major public lecture by internationally renowned Jewish philosopher Associate Professor...

Protecting critical infrastructure: Israeli expertise in focus at security forum

Have You Heard? J-Wire Newsdesk -

Australia’s power grids, transport networks, ports and data centres are now frontline targets in a new era of cyber...

CBDChabad expands Lunch & Learn program to Barangaroo

Have You Heard? J-Wire Newsdesk -

CBDChabad Sydney has expanded its weekly Lunch & Learn network across the Sydney CBD, following a successful trial session...

Opinion

Bankstown nurses ruling is no vindication

Reader’s letter: “Six months after Bondi”

Your say – University antisemitism

A partially religious assessment of the Hamas-Israel conflict

Readers letters: Adelaide Writers Week

A response to Michael Kuttner’s Brick Wall

John Lyons’ criticism of “the Jewish lobby”: A reader proffers an explanation

The funeral of Rabbi Brian Fox: Where were the orthodox rabbis?

Readers Letters: Courage to Care shares its shock

A tragedy foretold – a reader’s letter

Advertising for a rabbi…a reader’s letter

Schools around Australia celebrate Yom Haatzma’ut

Have You Heard? Rob Klein - 05/05/2026

Photo gallery Last week, schools across Australia came alive with colour, music and energy as students marked Yom Haatzmaut, celebrating...

Photo gallery: UIA Gala – Sydney

Featured Articles J-Wire photo story - 23/03/2026

Did you attend the UIA NSW Gala at Randwick Racecourse last month? The evening featured addresses from former Israeli minister...

Winner of the Arthur Rubinstein Musical Society visits Australia

Photos Features Desk - 30/11/2025

Australian Friends of the Arthur Rubinstein Musical Society, a prestigious Israeli piano competition, brought prize winner and Japanese piano...

Photo gallery: Pre-Chanukah celebration at NSW Parliament House

Photos J-Wire photo story - 28/11/2025

NSW Premier Chris Minns and newly elected Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane used this year’s pre-Chanukah celebration at Parliament House...

Stepping into the future of the Sydney Jewish Museum

Photos J-Wire - 24/10/2025

Visitors to the Sydney Jewish Museum were recently invited to step into the future. Over a series of preview events,...

Our Big Kitchen honours 9/11 with remembrance event

Dates for your Diary Rob Klein - 18/09/2025

Our Big Kitchen (OBK) in Bondi marked the anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a community gathering of...

Were you at the Sydney Magen David Adom fundraiser?

Featured Articles J-Wire photo story - 19/06/2025

A J-Wire photo gallery.

A private viewing of the Archibalds – Photo gallery

Featured Articles J-Wire photo story - 11/06/2025

The Moriah Foundation was thrilled to host their annual private viewing of Australia’s most popular and eagerly awaited art...

Movies & TV

Jewish stories and talent showcased at South African Film Festival

17/06/2026

Three films with strong Jewish connections will feature in this year’s South African Film Festival, including the feature directorial debut of acclaimed actress Embeth Davidtz and a new short...

A Swedish saviour

Unknown to this Netflix subscriber, The Swedish Connection (Swedish: Den svenska länken) is the story of the heroic activities of a Swedish bureaucrat who is...

Golem horror film claims inaugural Jewish Australian Screen Fellowship

Queensland filmmaker Idan Kotzen has been named the first recipient of the Jewish Australian Screen Fellowship, a new $20,000 initiative designed to support Jewish...

Two AOs and another AM and OAM

The morning brought the news from readers that we had missed four Jewish recipients of the Australia Day Awards. They have been added to the...

2026 Australia Day Awards: The Jewish Recipients

JWire congratulates all Jewish recipients of this year’s Australia Day Awards. VIC ten awards - NSW three awards - WA three awards - SA one...

Don’t forget Iran!

The pace and range of U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign-policy initiatives are simply dizzying. In keeping with Trump’s keen sense of drama, honed through his...

Theatre

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of), now in Melbourne and touring Australia

28/06/2026

A theatre review by Alex First A glorious spoken and sung hoot, this is an audacious retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Just what would author Jane Austen have thought of it?...

Beau Jest

A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First I can’t think of a Saltpillar Theatre endeavour that I have enjoyed more than this delightful production of...

Cast announced for Australia’s Fiddler on the Roof

Troy Sussman began preparing for Tevye before he knew the role was his. As soon as he found out he was auditioning for “Fiddler on...

Eddie Jaku’s granddaughter reflects on “The Happiest Man on Earth”

By Danielle Jaku-Greenfield You wouldn’t believe how strange it is to see a man you don’t know perform as your grandfather on stage. That’s what I...

Tradition revisited: Fiddler on the Roof returns

Few musicals have endured like ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, but its staying power has never relied on nostalgia alone. Since opening on Broadway in 1964,...

Sydney Jewish comedy showcase returns with laughs, stories and a stacked line-up

Sydney’s Jewish comedy scene is gearing up for a lively night, with the Sydney Jewish Comedy Showcase returning next month as part of the...

Music

Pianist knew he was “overstepping the mark” on Gaza

19/05/2026

Concert pianist Jayson Gillham has denied he deliberately misled the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra about performing a piece dedicated to journalists killed in Gaza. It has been almost two years since...

Pianist’s Gaza remarks spark Federal Court fight

A court has heard the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was thrown into turmoil after pianist Jayson Gillham made comments about the war in Gaza during...

Israel defies Eurovision pressure to claim second place

Israel’s Noam Bettan has finished second at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, after a campaign marked by boycott calls, protests and intense scrutiny...

A Jewish Australian story shines again at Eurovision

As Eurovision heads into its 2026 finals in Vienna, Danny Estrin is returning to the contest in a new role, bringing the same Jewish...

Organic Saint-Saens

Oh, boy – did the Concert Hall of Sydney’s iconic Opera House get an acoustic workout in Saturday afternoon’s Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Saint-Saens Organ...

Eugene Onegin

An opera review by Victor Grynberg Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) is widely acknowledged as the finest Russian composer of all time. In fact, most critics will...

Books

Female guards and Nazi brutality

29/06/2026

Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin It took courage and endurance for historian N. Koster to research and write Female Guards of Nazi Brutality; and it takes an equal measure...

Sydney Jewish Writers Festival takes stories from page to stage

The Sydney Jewish Writers Festival will move beyond the printed page this August with the launch of Festival of the Spoken Word, a new...

Conversations with my Rabbi

Nikki’s Conversations with her Rabbi Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin Writing the book Conversations with my Rabbi clearly proved both cathartic and transformative for author...

From Music to Mayhem

Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin From 1924 to 1933, a jazz band comprising seven young, creative and brilliant musicians—six of whom were Jewish—reached the...

Who will rescue us?

The story of the Jewish children who fled to France and America during the Holocaust Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin When Jewish boys and girls...

Heart of a Stranger

Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin Everything about Rabbi Angela Buchdahl’s compelling memoir is unusual. This is the only autobiography I’ve ever read that includes...

Opera

The Phantom of the Opera

06/04/2026

An opera review by Alex First Superlatives can’t do justice to a magnificent Handa Opera production of The Phantom of the Opera on its 40th anniversary. With the Sydney Opera House...

Hansel & Gretel- now a spectacular opera

An Opera Review by Victor Grynberg There would be few people unaware of the famous fairy tale Hansel & Gretel, written by the German brothers...

Sydney Opera House memorial reclaims a national symbol after Bondi attack

Flags above the Sydney Harbour Bridge flew at half-mast last night as families of the victims, Jewish leaders and political figures gathered at the...

Carmen – an opera review by Alex First

Passion, obsession, desperation, jealousy and rage make for a fiery combination in composer Georges Bizet’s Carmen, newly interpreted by director Anne-Louise Sarks for Opera...

Performer displays PLO flag at London’s Royal Opera House

A cast member at London’s Royal Opera House unfurled a PLO flag during the final curtain call of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore on Saturday night, prompting...

Lang Lang at the Opera House

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) hosted a beautiful evening of French music of the Romantic era featuring the dazzling pianist Lang Lang. Opening the program...

Sport

Ireland-Israel Nations League game moved to neutral site

14/06/2026

Ireland’s UEFA Nations League home match against Israel on Oct. 4 will be played at a neutral venue and behind closed doors due to “operational challenges", the Football Association...

Maccabi Bridge bridges generations

Last weekend, Maccabi Bridge held its inaugural 2026 National Championships in Sydney, bringing together more than 50 bridge players from across the community for...

Albanese says alleged antisemitic abuse at netball match is “beyond belief”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the alleged antisemitic abuse directed at Jewish children during a Sydney netball match, describing the incident as “beyond...

Police charge woman over alleged antisemitic abuse at children’s netball match

A 42-year-old woman has been charged and provisionally suspended from all netball activities after allegedly directing antisemitic abuse at Jewish children during an under-12s...