Penny Wong plans to visit Israel within weeks

December 8, 2023 by  
Filed under News

Penny Wong will make a visit to the Middle East within weeks, following a bipartisan delegation travelling to Israel. Read more

860 visas for Palestinians with Australian connections

November 22, 2023 by  
Filed under News

Between October 7 and November 20, the Department of Home Affairs approved 860 visas for Palestinians with connections to Australia, according to reports from the ABC. Read more

Shadow Federal Defence Minister Speaks to NSW Jewish community

November 22, 2023 by  
Filed under News

More than 60 people attended a lunchtime speech and question and answer session with Federal Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie today, where he spoke on Australian defence policy and the Israel-Hamas war. Read more

Greens Senate walkout criticising the government

November 7, 2023 by  
Filed under News

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi led a protest walk-out by her party during the Senate yesterday’s Question Time at the end of a fire and brimstone speech criticising the government’s position on the Israel-Gaza war. Read more

Dr Colin Rubenstein addresses a minyan for the late Jeremy Jones AM

September 13, 2023 by  
Filed under News

Dr Colin Rubenstein, Executive Director at the Australia /Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) has addressed a minyan for the late Jeremy Jones held at Sydney’s Mizrachi Synagogue. Read more

What are the next steps before Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is sworn In?

December 23, 2022 by  
Filed under News

Wednesday night, shortly before a midnight deadline, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu phoned Israeli President Isaac Herzog to give formal notification that he has enough Knesset support to form a government. Read more

Lyons’ blatant twisting of an email demonstrates the shallowness and unprofessionalism of his latest monograph

October 8, 2021 by  
Filed under Featured Articles

Sometimes the veracity of a piece of writing can be easily assessed from the way one source document is used or misused…writes Jamie Hyams. Read more

Change of leadership: Congratulations for Bennett

June 14, 2021 by  
Filed under News

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder has reacted to the formation of the new Israeli government. Read more

A difference of opinion

May 5, 2021 by  
Filed under News

Jonathan Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for spying for Israel in the United States…and now is the keynote speaker at an event in Jerusalem celebrating Jerusalem Day. Read more

More congratulations for the Biden-Harris camp

November 9, 2020 by  
Filed under News

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and the Zionist Federation of Australia have congratulated Joe Biden on his election as the President of the United States, and his running mate Kamala Harris, who becomes America’s first female vice-President. Read more

Jewish and pro-Israel groups welcome Israel-Bahrain normalization agreement

September 13, 2020 by  
Filed under News

Jewish and pro-Israel groups instantly applauded Israel and Bahrain for agreeing on Friday to normalize relations between the two countries—the second of its kind between Israel and a Persian Gulf nation in the wake of the United Arab Emirates. Read more

AIJAC asks government to reconsider its position on Hezbollah

May 1, 2020 by  
Filed under AIJAC, News

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) has welcomed the German government’s decision to join a growing list of countries that proscribe the entirety of Hezbollah as a terrorist group and again urges the Australian government to seriously reconsider its stance on the organisation. Read more

Prestige U.S. award for Colin Rubenstein

June 3, 2019 by  
Filed under AIJAC, News

The Executive Director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Dr Colin Rubenstein has been honoured for his advocacy on behalf of the Jewish people and Israel by the Board of Governors of the American Jewish Committee. Read more

Senator and union leaders report on their visit to Israel

August 1, 2018 by  
Filed under News

Liberal Senator for Queensland  Amanda Stoker is a recent graduate of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) Rambam study program to Israel, and addressed an AIJAC function in Melbourne to discuss impressions of her visit to Israel in June.  Read more

AIJAC thanks Danby

July 6, 2018 by  
Filed under News

The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council has praised Michael Danby who yesterday announced his retirement from federal parliament. Read more

Australia not happy with US decision to quit UNHRC

June 20, 2018 by  
Filed under News

Australia is disappointed by the decision of the United States to resign from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Read more

AIJAC thanks Australian government for principled stance at UN

June 14, 2018 by  
Filed under AIJAC, News

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) National Chairman Mark Leibler and Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein have written to Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to express AIJAC’s “sincere appreciation for Australia’s principled stance at the UN General Assembly by voting in favour of the US amendment to the unbalanced motion on Israel, and then being one of only eight countries to vote against the motion when the amendment failed.”  Read more

Leaders praises Trump’s leadership

May 15, 2018 by  
Filed under News

The World Jewish Congress on Monday enthusiastically welcomed the United States’ move of its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, calling it a “critical moment in history” and a “precedent worthy of emulation” by all of Israel’s allies.  Read more

Shift trends in the West

March 16, 2017 by  
Filed under News

Australian Jewry’s role as arguably the most successful diaspora Jewish community was included in discussions at the Jewish World’s most significant  think tank, the Jewish People’s Policy Institute, in Jerusalem recently. Read more

18C and Australia multiculturalism

November 8, 2016 by  
Filed under News

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) has commenter on the announcement by Attorney-General George Brandis QC of a parliamentary inquiry into freedom of speech, including sections 18C and 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) and how the Australian Human Right Commission (the Commission) handles complaints.  Read more

Australian reporters report on their trip to Israel

December 11, 2015 by  
Filed under AIJAC, News

Three senior Australian journalists and a prominent academic who visited Israel in November as part of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council’s Rambam study program have discussed their experiences in luncheon meetings with AIJAC supporters in Australia.

Read more

Community welcomes Malcolm

September 16, 2015 by  
Filed under AIJAC, ECAJ, News, Zionist Federation of Australia

Australia’s new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is no stranger to the country’s Jewish community given that his federal seat of Wentworth is home to the majority of Jews living in Sydney. Read more

Malcolm Fraser: Community messages

March 23, 2015 by  
Filed under News

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry and The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council have issued statements following the death of former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. Read more

The Walkleys – more have their say

December 5, 2014 by  
Filed under News

Members of Australia’s Jewish community have slammed the Walkleys for awarding the highest journalistic honour in Australia to  Ruth Pollard, John Lyons and an ABC-Four Corners team. Read more

Bob Carr – AIJAC has its say…and Danby watches the 7:30 Report

April 14, 2014 by  
Filed under News

Executive director of The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council Dr Colin Rubenstein believes he always enjoyed a healthy relationship with former Foreign Minister Bob Carr. Rubenstein has returned home from overseas and read Carr’s comments on the Jewish lobby. AIJAC has its say… Read more

AIJAC responds to Carr’s settlements remarks

August 9, 2013 by  
Filed under News

The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council’s Dr Colin Rubenstein has responded to remarks made by Foreign Minister Bob Carr declaring Israeli settlements “on Palestinian land” illegal. Read more

Israeli ambassador rebuked – community responds

December 5, 2012 by  
Filed under AIJAC, News

The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council and the Zionist Federation of Australia have voiced their criticism of Foreign Minister Bob Carr’s decision to rebuke the Israeli ambassador Yuval Rotem over the settlements issue. Read more

Rubenstein and Danby join the Fairfax Fray

August 29, 2012 by  
Filed under News

Dr Colin Rubenstein, the executive director of AIJAC and Federal Labor MP Michael Danby have voiced their views on the Fairfax criticism of the IDF’s treatment of Palestinian children… Read more

Australia pulls out of Durban 3

August 23, 2011 by  
Filed under News

Australia has joined in deciding today not to attend the Durban 3 Conference to be held in New York next month. Read more

Nancy Wake – Jewish Australia Farewells a WWII Heroine

August 9, 2011 by  
Filed under Uncategorised

The Executive Director of the ECAJ, Peter Wertheim, today expressed praise for the late Australian war heroine, Nancy Wake. Read more