UIA award for Our Big Kitchen
January 21, 2012 by Henry Benjamin
Sydney community kitchen has received a citation from the UIA….United Indian Associations. Read more
Remembering Wannsee
January 21, 2012 by Danny Ben-Moshe
On January 20, 1942, the Nazi leadership gathered in a villa on the outskirts of Berlin and adopted the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.” The Wannsee Conference, as this became known, from the suburb where the meeting was held, formalized the process that exterminated so much of European Jewry…writes Danny Ben-Moshe. Read more
Do Rivers Have Feelings
January 20, 2012 by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
In this week’s Torah portion we read about the ten plagues. G-d punishes the Egyptians with a series of ten devastating blows that destroy the infrastructure of this powerful country, paving the way for the much-awaited Jewish exodus. Moses, the Jewish leader, is G-d’s messenger to issue warnings to Pharaoh and to perform certain tasks that would bring about these plagues…writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie. Read more
Lions fund a bus for the Monte
January 20, 2012 by Sarah Hanniffy
The Bondi Lions Club have extended their generosity to the Montefiore Home in support of the Intergenerational Masada College Kabbalat Shabbatons. For the second year running, the Lions Club’s sponsorship will fund a bus for the transportation of Masada students to Hunters Hill to participate in the program. Read more
Auschwitz Liberation Commemoration
January 20, 2012 by Community Editor
The Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants together with Sydney Jewish Museum will hold its annual Liberation of Auschwitz Commemoration on Sunday 29 January at the Sydney Jewish Museum. This year is 67th Anniversary and we are holding the commemoration as well as the United Nations Holocaust Memorial Day. Read more
Two Jewish actors in starring roles
January 20, 2012 by Arts Editor
Two prominent young Jewish actors feature in the upcoming sexy, black comedy “That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play” by Sheila Callaghan. Read more
Mailman Busy at Our Big Kitchen
January 20, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
Our Big Kitchen has received letters from overseas….praise from the World Jewish Congress for its communal work and thanks from the Australian armed forces in Afghanistan for food packages… Read more
Violence against Women targeted by Sydney filmmaker
January 20, 2012 by Henry Benjamin
London-based Sydneysider Mark Tintner has written and directed a short film featuring dance for Refuge, a UK organisation which aid victims of domestic violence. The film “Raging Beauty” has been widely acclaimed and has been praised by the Young Directors’ Award team. Watch it here… Read more
Leibler Panel Calls for Constitution Change
January 20, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
Melbourne lawyer Mark Leibler is Co-Chair of the Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and has called on all Australians to work for change citing the effect of the Holocaust on his own family. Read more
Wheelchair Tennis Tournament Attracts Israeli Star
January 19, 2012 by Henry Benjamin
29-yr-old Noam Gershony is ranked 3rd in the world in quadriplegic division of the challenging sport of wheelchair tennis and is competing in the 2012 Sydney International Wheelchair Tennis Open which starts tomorrow. Read more
ECAJ “The Promise” Complaint not about Bias
Harold Zwier and Larry Stillman were published in The Age [ Letters 18/1] and agree with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) that the Jewish characters portrayed in The Promise are generally unsympathetic in comparison with the Arab characters, but disagree that this bias amounts to antisemitism.
The ECAJ’s complaint is not about bias. It is about racist stereotyping of Jews throughout the series. Numerous examples are listed in the Table provided by the ECAJ and in the text of the complaint itself.
All of the principal characters who are Jewish are portrayed in a deeply negative way – betrayers (the Judas stereotype), murderers of innocents (blood libel), thieves (Fagin), ruthless and amoral (Shylock) and so on.
If a series about the Israel-Palestinian conflict portrayed every Arab character as a murderous terrorist, betrayer or thief or a vocal supporter of these, perhaps the racism would be more evident to Messrs Zwier and Stillman.
The reference to the Nazi propaganda film is solely to illustrate that an award-winning, critically-acclaimed film can nevertheless be deeply tainted by racism.
I do not believe that every criticism of Israel is antisemitic. [I wonder what the reaction would be if Palestinians or Arabs and Muslims were depicted is such a negative manner and SBS were to promote DVDs to ensure wide coverage.] It is equally false to suggest that no criticism of Israel is antisemitic. There is clearly some overlap. The test is whether the criticism makes use of anti-Jewish stereotypes. The Promise certainly did so.
Michael Burd
Toorak, Vic.
New Role for Former Judge
January 19, 2012 by J-Wire
Former Supreme Court judge David Levine has been appointed inspector of the New South Wales Police Integrity Commission. Read more
Abduction *
January 19, 2012 by J-Wire
Perhaps the only way to approach Abduction that will not result in a 105-minute boredom-induced coma is to think of it as a comedy, preferably with a drinking game attached. There are laughs to be had, although none of them are intentional. Girls (and gay guys) enraptured by Taylor Lautner’s smoldering eyes and well-formed pecs aren’t likely to be overly concerned about his wooden dialogue delivery or unchanging facial expression, but everyone else will be chortling. This is a miscasting of mammoth proportions.
It boggles the mind that someone thought Lautner could make it as an action hero. On some level, I suppose it makes sense. Looking at a specimen like Arnold Schwarzenegger, arguably the biggest action icon of the ’80s, one could develop a model: nice chest, bulging biceps, limited emotional range, incomprehensible dialogue delivery. The problem is, Schwarzenegger was always a “man’s man,” whereas Lautner is generally despised by straight males of all ages. That makes Abduction an action/thriller with females as its primary audience, which is box office poison. Over the years, with rare exceptions, action films have struck gold on the strength of teenage boys.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ***
January 19, 2012 by J-Wire
For decades, the spy thriller has been dominated by one name: Bond. 007’s trappings, which include pyrotechnics, high-octane chases, death-defying stunts, gorgeous women, and the like, have come to define the genre. While it’s unquestionable that Ian Fleming’s superspy has left an indelible impression on movies and novels, it would not be reasonable to apply Bond-generated expectations to the grounded endeavors of John le Carré and Len Deighton. Both authors began writing in the early 1960s with the primary purpose of creating “anti-Bond” protagonists. For Deighton, it was Harry Palmer (played in three films by Michael Caine). For Le Carré, it was George Smiley. Physically unprepossessing, meek in manner, emotionally cool, and antisocial, Smiley’s primary weapon is his mind not a gun. He is a master tactician of the Cold War, matching wits against the best the KGB has to offer.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is regarded by critics as being among the best of Le Carré’s yarns. A faithful adaptation (which this is) has two requirements: the narrative must be dense and the pace must be slow. Le Carré’s stories have no room for mindless action; they are heavily plot-driven, which makes them a challenge to adapt. Two hours is probably too short. The condensation required to cram the essence of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy into a feature film of reasonable length is likely to result in less attentive audience members becoming lost along the way. Even a quick trip to the bathroom could be a viewer’s undoing. And, although the pacing is slow, events move rapidly. A lot happens, but little is explosive.
Grovelling to the Moslem Brotherhood
January 19, 2012 by Isi Leibler
It is profoundly disconcerting to read media reports of the unseemly competition between the US and Western governments to curry favor with the Moslem Brotherhood in the wake of its electoral victory in Egypt…writes Isi Leibler. Read more
New Exhibition at Yad Vashem
Traveling to Israel? Already there? Yad Vashem is launching a new exhibition to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Read more
Ambassador Jones
January 18, 2012 by Community Editor
Prime Minister Julia Gillard today congratulated 40 Australians who have been recognised for their outstanding work in building strong and cohesive local communities…including Sydney identity, Jeremy Jones. Read more
Article Heralds Age-old Problem
January 17, 2012 by Emily Gian
The Melbourne Age today carries a front page article by Leesha McKenny entitled ‘Jewish outcry on SBS series’ about a complaint to the SBS Ombudsman lodged by The Executive Council of Australian Jewry about the screening of the BBC drama series The Promise which aired at the end of last year…writes Emily Gian. Read more
Hospital Exhibition
January 17, 2012 by J-Wire
An Honorary Cardiologist at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital is also an artist…and an exhibition of his work has opened within the hospital. Read more
2012: The Year of the Foreign Passport
January 17, 2012 by Raffe Gold
Will 2012 be the year of the foreign passport? Will left-wing Israelis, after experiencing gender segregation; political sidelining and the threat of religious coercion find themselves researching how much it would cost to move away from Israel for good? What will happen when these Israelis say that enough is enough? When they believe that the Zionist dream remains just that…a dream that could have been so much more…writes Raffe Gold. Read more
Matchmaker, Matchmaker…
January 17, 2012 by Odile Faludi
What makes women leave their sleeping babies, flee their husband’s company and add to their already busy lifestyles to meet total strangers in coffee shops? It is currently happening across the Sydney and Melbourne Jewish communities. Read more
A Tale of Two Papers
January 17, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
The executive director of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has questioned the treatment of his complaint to SBS over the screening of the TV miniseries “The Promise” which depicted contemporary Israeli-Palestinian relations and those of the time of the British Mandate in the 1940s.
Chabad opens in Queenstown
A new Chabad House has opened in Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand…and has had a successful debut Shabbat.
Danby adds his voice
January 15, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
The chairperson of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians has condemned the antisemitic slogans which greeted the leader if Hamas when he visited Tunisia last week.
Limmud-Oz Report Card
January 15, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
With Sydney and Melbourne gearing up for another exciting year of Limmud-Oz events, a recent study conducted by Limmud International shows that Limmud has a significant and very positive impact on the Jewish identity and involvement of participants. Read more
UNESCO Commissioner Spells Out Global Fallout From Palestine Decision
January 14, 2012 by David Singer
Global programs in literacy, gender equality and clean water initiatives will be impacted as a result of America suspending its dues to UNESCO totalling about $225 million dollars until 2013 – according to United States National Commissioner to UNESCO – Emilya Cachapero….writes David Singer. Read more
A Sportsman’s Guide to the Torah
January 13, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
Dr Antony Rebuck is a well-known medical researcher….but when he is not writing about medicine Tony becomes Shlomo ben Yitzhak HaLevi…a sports-mad member of the orthodox community who has just published a book titled “A Sportsman’s Guide to the Torah”. Read more
World Zionist Leader to Visit Melbourne
January 13, 2012 by Community Editor
Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman, the co-chair of Department for Diaspora Activities of the World Zionist Organisation will deal with questions from the Diaspora at a meeting to be held in Melbourne at the end of the month. Read more
67 years later – Train Survivors meet
January 12, 2012 by Henry Benjamin
In April 1945, Lexie Keston, Micha Tomkiewicz, Eva Reed and Ana Deleon were little children traveling on a train en route from Bergen-Belsen to Theriesendat when it was abandoned by the Germans and discovered by the advancing U.S. forces. Brooklyn-based Tomkiewicz recently met the Sydney women for the first time. Read more
Shidduch in Perth
January 12, 2012 by Henry Benjamin
With no funds available to pay a rabbi, the Northern Suburbs Hebrew Congregation in Perth has solved its problem by joining forces with Chabad…making a rebbetzin very happy.
