Happy birthday, Israel!
Today, Israel celebrates the 65th anniversary of its independence (Yom Haatzmaut)…writes Sharyn Mittleman Read more
Aussie on 1000km run in Israel
An English-born Australian is running the length of Israel’s National Trail…a journey of 1009 kms which he hopes to complete in 12 days. Read more
Basketball team makes the finals
Northside Maccabi Basketball Club Mens ‘C’ grade team, The Maccabi Kings have made the Grand Final. Read more
AUJS at odds with Sydney uni students
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) has criticised the University of Sydney’s Student Representative Council (SRC) for passing a “divisive and counterproductive” motion calling on the University to end all ties with the Technion. Read more
Lunch with Tony Abbott…what was on the menu?
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has addressed a luncheon with Jewish leaders in Sydney. Read more
Yom Hazikaron in Australia
Thousands of members of Jewish communities throughout Australia attended commemoration events for Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance for the fallen military personnel of the IDF and victims of terror. Read more
Israel and New Zealand fail to protect investors
With nervous investors concerned about the health of their banks in many European countries , the New Zealand Greens have said that New Zealand and Israel are the only two countries in the OECD which do not offer protection to those whose who have deposits in those nations’ banks. Read more
AJDS and the JCCV
It doesn’t surprise me that the JCCV is considering disaffiliating AJDS. This possibility has been on the agenda for a while. Not surprisingly, I have mixed feelings about this course of action. Read more
ADC speaks out against online hate
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission ADC), has spoken out against the ever-growing proliferation of online hate speech, in particular on Facebook. Read more
L’hitrahot Shemi
Ambassador Shemi Tzur headed the diplomatic team which re-opened the embassy in Wellington ending a hiatus created by economic cuts made by Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Read more
Al-Durah: A lethal narrative and the innocent lives it continues to destroy…writes Arnold Roth
A court of appeal in Paris will hand down an important judgment today that serves as a kind of microcosm of how the media establishment can act in a co-ordinated way to protect its members’ perceived interests. It also, by the way, throws a sharp light on the way Israel’s interests are under attack far from the physical battlefield – while the casualties are all too real. Read more
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Yad Vashem commemorates 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The central theme for this year’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day is Defiance and Rebellion during the Holocaust: 70 Years Since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Read more
Waks’s testimony made public
Manny Waks and his father Zephaniah gave their testimonies to the Victorian Government Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Organisations late last year. They have been made public. Zephaniah Waks talks of Yeshiva intimidation of the sexually abused in Brooklyn being harsher than that meted out by the mob and Manny Waks goes on the front foot in dealing with communal leadership…. Read more
Auckland farewells ambassador
Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand Shemi Tzur’s posting is drawing to a close. The Auckland Jewish community has bade him farewell. Read more
A Muslim, a Christian and a Jew picked up an instrument….
While a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim meeting on the internet to record an album might sound like the start of a joke, these curious beginnings led to the formation of The Bridge Project, and their truly remarkable debut album. Read more
No dramas at the Australian Islamic Peace Conference
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria campaigned to support multiculturalism in order to avoid antisemitism, religious intolerance or racial vilification from speakers at last weekend’s Australian Islamic Peace Conference. Read more
Ambassador Jones
Jeremy Jones, AIJAC’s Director of International and of Community Affairs, a former president and honorary life member of the ECAJ and an executive member of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies has been appointed a 2013 People of Australia Ambassador. Read more
It’s time this charade called a Peace Process came to an end.
When will this charade ever end? On the eve of Obama’s arrival in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated for the umpteenth time “With a Palestinian partner who is willing to conduct negotiations in good faith, Israel will be prepared for a historic compromise that will end the conflict with the Palestinians forever.” Read more
Hate on Facebook
The Online Hate Prevention Institute has released a major new report into antisemitism on Facebook to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21st 2013. Read more
Austen Tayshus forms the Nobody Knows Anything Party
Inspired by comedian Beppe Grillo’s success in the recent Italian elections, but deflated by his raging antisemitism, I have decided to form my own political party here in Australia. It will be called the NKA (Nobody Knows Anything Party). It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to…writes Austen Tayshus. Read more
Pesach message from NSW Premier
Barry O’Farrell, Premier of NSW, has sent a Pesach message to the NSW Jewish Community. Read more
UIA’s Melbourne Major Event
Over 800 United Israel Appeal supporters gathered on Wednesday evening at The Peninsula in the Docklands to hear from international guests Former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman and Former IDF Helicopter Pilot and gold medal Paralympian Noam Gershony. Guests were also honoured to be in the presence of Gilad Shalit who made a grand entrance following a highly emotional video capturing imagery from his release. Read more
Do Jews have a suicidal gene in their DNA?
With the imminent arrival of Barack Obama, Israel is still trying to put together a coalition government of such disparate groups, that if it were not so serious, it would be laughable…writes Gil Solomon. Read more
ABC gets a letter from Judy
Judy Singer watched how ABC-TV’s 7:3o Report handled the Ben Zygier case following the release of findings by Foreign Minister Bob Carr. She penned this off to them… Read more
Not Israel’s favourite song
Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairperson of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, has questioned the Australian Broadcasting Commission about program content that apparently endorses genocide and the destruction of the State of Israel. Read more
The Broken Streamer
A Melbourne play – a migrants’ tale. Read more
Mardi Gras
More than 80 members of the community turned last night to join the Dayenu float in the 2013 Mardi Gras parade. Read more
The ZFA beats to a different drum
ABC-TV’s “The Drum” recently addressed the issue of Israelis who hold an Australian passport or vice versa following the death in custody of Bez Zygier. The Zionist Federation of Australia’s president t Philip Chester responds…. Read more
The Struggle for the Negev
Ari Briggs – International Director of Regavim, an Israeli Non-Government Organization, and JNF Shaliach Ygal Shapir have shared a platform at Sydney’s The Central Synagogue discussing good and bad news coming out of the Negev. Read more
