Yom Ha’azmaut questions

The entry fee to the concert was $20 for 2 adults and $5 for my daughter.   For that, the audience was was subjected to various speeches – dull – other than The Weiss girl- no relation and then highly irrelevant talent quest – none of which related to Zionism or the celebration of Israel. Read more

On Cardinal George Pell

I viewed the interactive public affairs program Q & A hosted by Tony Jones last night (9.35 p.m. Monday, 9^th April)…writes…Liat-Kirby-Nagar. Read more

The Chief Rabbi Vacancy

With regard to the issue of no advertisment for the position of Chief Rabbi appearing in the Australian Jewish press,  The Executive of the RCNSW endorse the stated view of ORA President Rabbi Moshe Gutnick.  We do not believe any snub was intended. The impending retirement of Rabbi Lord Sacks was well known throughout Australian Jewry thanks in part to extensive AJN coverage and therefore all rabbis would have known of the vacancy and were at liberty to apply.  The statement of the AJN does not represent the opinion of the Rabbinate.

Rabbi Y. Ulman

President: Rabbinical Council of NSW

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.

Quitting the NSWJBD

The Board Of Deputies No Longer Represents Me Read more

Inspired by Sabina

Hi my name is Nikita Cavill and I am 10 years old.I am from Penola Primary School. I love learning about History and your life inspired me. What inspired me the most was the speech you did in front of the crowd at the Jewish Memorial it was just incredible and it brought a tear to my eye. Just to think that you had to go through that pain of losing that many relatives was just sad. I don’t know how you are just that strong to get on with life after all you’ve been through. Read more

Inspired by Wolanski

Thank you for screening this inspirational story. Read more

Well Done Austen

Bravo Sandy Gutman/Austen Tayshus for outing  the 2 anti-Semites in Chief, Rhiannon and McGeogh for what they are.

Usually I dont watch Q & A anymore, it’s so predictable with mainly Abott-and/or-Jew Bashing on the menu. But I wanted to see you, in order to make my mind up wether to buy your book!

Well, I now will buy 3 copies!!

Rita Liddle

Sydney

“Too Late” says NGO Monitor

Editor-

Robin Margo (“Hello Robin, Hello Ron”) claims that the Coalition of Women for Peace (CWP) – a leader in the global boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel – “had not received any NIF grant for two or three years and had also been removed by NIF from its list of approved donor-advised organizations”.

NIF is correct to stop funding CWP. However, this action came years too late – NIF issued a statement only on May 15, 2011 declaring that “CWP is no longer on the list of approved donor-advised organizations.” But CWP was known as the leader of the BDS movement years ago, and NIF’s funding provided a “stamp of approval” that legitimized the group and allowed it to raise funds from foreign governments.

Furthermore, as of May 16, 2011, CWP’s “Who Profits?” BDS website continues to recommend that tax deductible donations to the group be made via the NIF, with the following in the memo line: “For the Coalition of Women for Peace – Who Profits Project” (http://www.whoprofits.org/Donations.php). When will NIF take legal action so that CWP stops this false advertising?

In addition to breaking ties with CWP, NIF also should reconsider funding for NGOs that comprise CWP – they participate in and add legitimacy to the group’s BDS activities. One such NGO, Machsom Watch, received $204,698 in NIF grants from 2006-2009 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).

After a series of coarsely uncivil and slanderous attacks, in December, NIF announced the adoption of funding guidelines that reflect NGO Monitor’s recommendations, but the implementation has been reluctant and slow. It is our hope that Mr. Margo will use his influence to ensure that much needed reforms are adopted by the NIF, including transparency, and put an end to all funding for groups that participate in BDS and other delegitimization activities. These changes can be made without further outbursts of uncivil language and unfounded accusations on the part of NIF.

Sincerely,

Jason Edelstein

Communications Director

NGO Monitor

 

Robin and Ron

1. I suggest that Robin urgently publish a complete list of organisations currently receiving funds from the NIF, together with their website addresses. Read more

Limmud-Oz

As a devotee, participant and lecturer at five of the previous Limmud-Oz Jewish cultural events in Sydney and Melbourne, I am jealous of its reputation. Limmud-Oz is one of the finest, most all-encompassing, educative, entertaining and enriching programmes for the Jewish community and its reputation has spread around the world. Those who know Limmud-Oz understand that within its curriculum of Jewish and Israeli topics, it is an event which encourages discussion, and never shies away from subjects which are controversial. Read more

Thank you, Fiona

Sir,

As we celebrate the Passover festival, I along with no doubt, many fellow members of the Jewish community would like to give thanks to Fiona Byrne. Every year as we re-visit the story of the Exodus of the Jews from years of victimisation at the hands of the Egyptian pharaohs, we are instructed to feel as though we ourselves are coming out of slavery. Living in Australia, where we as a community thrive and enjoy the greatest freedom and acceptance, finding contemporary analogies has often entailed drawing a pretty long bow.

Enter Marrickville Council and their attempted myopic boycott of the Jewish State and parallels of victimisation abound. Fiona Byrne has every right to support the Palestinian’s entitlement to greater freedom but this needs to be coupled to the principle of mutual recognition, something lacking on the part of extremists on both sides as well as the Boycott movement.

David Faktor

Bondi

 

 

Medicine for Marrickville

A long time ago – some sixty years – I had a spell of some medical responsibilities in the Marrickville area.  It was the time of early multiculturalism and I retain pleasant  memories of a happy polyglot community with a great sense of civic pride and neighbourly concern. Read more

Danby and Marrickville Preferences

Dear Editor,

The NSW Opposition apparently plans to issue no preferences in the coming State election in the seat of Marrickville. This is a marked contrast to the Liberal policy in Victoria at the recent State election which the Liberals won. The Liberal decision not to issue preferences against the Greens is made possible by the optional preferential voting system. It will mean that the chief proponent of the Watermelon faction of the Greens, Fiona Byrne, the woman who has driven the boycott Israel policy as Mayor of Marrickville may well be elected to the NSW Parliament.

Remember Marrickville General Manager Ken Gainger revealed that 86.25 hours of staff time have been devoted to trying to implement an anti-Israel resolution plus an unspecified amount of ‘unrecorded time’. The cost is said to be ‘unquantifiable’ because Council staff do not operate according to a time costing system (informally we have heard that the cost to date is well over $30,000 – and that’s even before the formal report about implementation has been completed).

This is a scandalous waste of resources. Marrickville Council has never received a mandate from ratepayers for this expenditure of their money which could have been applied to fixing broken footpaths, clearing dumped rubbish and upgrading the library and other local services. Voters in NSW do not need a ratbag local councillors in the NSW Parliament. Unfortunately the decision of the NSW Opposition to sit on the fence means that an avowed enemy of the Australian Jewish community maybe elected to Macquarie Street. At this eleventh hour, I hope the community can pressure the Libs to do the right thing and get them to stop this Green radical being elected.

Michael Danby MP

Federal Member for Melbourne Ports

Two slants on women and their money

To run stories of money for women and the rebezin side by side oye vey Ben Gershon East Perth

Anthony Loewenstein’s ‘ethnic slur’ against NZ’s Prime Minister

Anthony Loewenstein in his blog has referred to New Zealand’s Prime Minister as “Jewish” in a clear ethnic slur in commenting about Key’s support of Hosni Mubarak and a ‘conservative’ policy by the Kiwis on Egypt.  Given that that Keys, whose mother was Jewish, is an agnostic and an occasional church goer, Loewenstein is way out of line. Read more

Unsubstantiated Attacks

Shirley Finn’s letter (J-Wire January 31) levels a number of unsubstantiated allegations against the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, charging that we were silent on the attacks on the Coptic Church in Egypt and  “ignored” the terror threats which were made last month against four Coptic Orthodox Churches in Sydney. Read more

Look at the Oz

Hello my dear Sydney Morning Herald and Age reading friends, Read more

Marrickville Council Boycott

All parties that support economic boycott of Israeli goods made in Palestine, are blocking j ventures for peace and employment within the two states of Israel and Palestine. They are blocking peaceful co.operation and econmic sustenance between the 2 states.. The boycotters are therefore supporting chaos

Sandra Hepner

“Tragic echoes of the Voyage of the Dammed”

In response to the B’nai B’rith ADC media release of 16 December 2010, it is truly unfortunate that a Jewish organisation would make such an odious comparison of the plight of current refugees with Holocaust Survivors.  Whilst there is no doubt that survivors and their families would have some empathy and understanding of the tragic circumstances in which asylum seekers  find themselves that is surely where any comparison ends.  Understandable sympathy for asylum seekers coming to Australia does not justify comparing their plight to that of European Jewry under the Nazis. Read more

Mr Rudd and WikiLeaks

Re: Mr Rudd’s justification for his condemnation of the release of classified diplomatic information. Read more

New Church Resolution

Thanks for the update on the resolution of the NCCA.

A credit to the hard work of the ECAJ.

your part in publicising the biased resolution of the ncca is to be commended.

keep up the good work.

Sam Goldman

Bellevue Hill

Sydney

On Wikileaks

Is it not odd that the united states (and many other countries) bought stolen secret and confidential financial banking information pertaining to many people worldwide, from a thief, who had stolen the information from a liechtenstein bank. they have had no hesitation to use this information against the individuals involved in a most aggressive way.

and yet they cry “crime and traitor” and have international warrants for the arrest of the  wikileaks publishers, for exposing secret documents stolen from their security files.

whilst i do not agree with wikileaks actions,  i feel they do endanger world stability, particularly diplomatic stability; however wikileaks have learnt from the usa and others, that those who have stolen secrets have readily been paid millions for stolen illegal documents.

Sam Goldman

Bellevue Hill

From Alan Gold to Peter Slezak

Of all the many half-truths, omissions, predispositions and bigotries in Peter Slezak’s letter concerning his support for the Palestinians, the most egregious – indeed the one which virtually disqualifies him from serious contention – is his reliance upon the alleged Jewish expulsion of Palestinians during the 1948 war. Read more

David Singer’s Reply to Peter Slezak

Peter - I gave you five specific cases of Arab lies and propaganda that you propagated in your article – which I claimed were factually false or misleading. The veracity of these five matters relied on by you are critical to a proper understanding of the conflict, the reasons that have failed to see it resolved for the last 130 years and that are preventing it being concluded at the present time. Read more

Response to Gold and Singer

The debate following Alan Gold’s piece on Anna Baltzer is to be welcomed and Jwire is to be commended for giving space to divergent views that are too infrequently aired publicly in the Jewish community. Nevertheless, one might have hoped for a more productive and appropriate, not to mention more courteous, exchange. Read more

Open letter to Judith Whelan (Editor Good Weekend) and Peter Fray (Editor SMH)

Dear Judith and Peter,

Paul McGeough’s piece on the “motley-crew of cash strapped activists” who took on Israel features a small but significant breakout “FGM movers & shakers” which outlines what “hooked” our heroes towards the Palestinian cause. Two FGM members identify the tragic death of Mohammad Al-Dura. McGeough elaborates “The 12-year old boy died at Netzarim Junction, in his farther’s arms after being shot by the Israel Defence Forces.”

Ten years on, it has comprehensively been proven that Mohammad Al-Dura was not shot by Israel. Many news outlets the world over, including the BBC in June this year, have issued apologies and clarifications for wrongly accusing Israel of this crime.

The image of a boy shot dead in his helpless father’s arms during an Israeli confrontation with Palestinians has become the Pietà of the anti-Israel movement. As the Atlantic Monthly noted, while the compelling evidence will not change pro-Palestinian minds—”the episode offers an object lesson in the incendiary power of an icon”.

This incendiary power goes a long way in Paul McGeough’s mythological world, and no doubt your readers have the smarts to discern this, but shame on the Good Weekend for your part in continuing to promote this libel.

David Faktor

Bondi