Current News
Neo-Nazis ‘tapping into local anxieties’ to radicalise
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 6:39 pm
Anti-racism training for young children is among a series of policy responses being recommended to combat festering right-wing extremism. Read more
‘It’s nonsense’: Israeli officials deny development expands Jerusalem’s boundaries
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 6:32 pm
Israeli officials denied on Tuesday that a proposal to expand a community north of Jerusalem would enlarge the capital’s municipal boundaries.
“There is a plan to expand the Adam settlement; it’s been planned for over a decade under my council’s jurisdiction. It has nothing to do with a de facto expansion of Jerusalem, it’s nonsense,” Israel Ganz, chairman of the Yesha Council, told The Press Service of Israel. The council is an umbrella organisation for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Ganz is also head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, where the expansion is planned. He stressed that Adam’s development plan was strictly under his council’s jurisdiction and had no connection to Jerusalem.
The project would be built between the nearby Palestinian towns of Hizma and Al Ram. According to Peace Now, the development includes a government investment of about NIS 120 million ($38.7 million) to build 2,780 housing units, infrastructure, public spaces, and community institutions on 500 dunams (50 hectares) between Adam and Jerusalem’s municipal boundary. The plan has not yet been deposited with the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Committee, a procedural step that could mean final authorisation takes up to two years.
Adam, home to 1,350 families, is located in Area C of Judea and Samaria, where Israel has both administrative and security jurisdiction.
Israel began constructing the security barrier around Jerusalem in 2002 during the Second Intifada. The barrier — composed of fences, concrete walls, and electronic surveillance — was intended to prevent attacks, particularly suicide bombings, from Palestinian areas. The Jerusalem section of the barrier does not strictly follow the Green Line, deviating to protect Israeli neighbourhoods, take advantage of the terrain for surveillance, and reduce vulnerability to attacks.
Hagit Ofran from Peace Now told TPS-IL that the move amounted to “a backdoor annexation,” asserting that the project would function in practice as a Jerusalem neighbourhood even if it is formally registered as part of Adam. Ofran added that the new development would likely receive at least some municipal services from Jerusalem.
“It is a kind of a bluff. It will function as a neighbourhood of Jerusalem, without having to call it annexation,” she told TPS-IL.
Officials from the Jerusalem municipality did not respond to requests for comment.
Author Randa Abdel-Fattah to appear at Sydney Writers Festival
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 5:48 pm
Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah will appear at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, Australia’s largest writers’ event. Read more
White nationalist jailed for hateful Australia Day rant
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 5:40 pm
A neo-Nazi supporter who railed against Jews in a hate-filled Australia Day rally speech has been jailed for his offensive and abhorrent crime. Read more
The conversations that actually matter after Bondi
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 4:41 pm
Since the Bondi massacre on 14 December, the Jewish community has carried a familiar mix of grief, vigilance, and exhaustion. Read more
Chabad rabbis from Australia and New Zealand gather in Bondi after terror attack
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 4:05 pm
More than 80 Chabad rabbis from across Australia and New Zealand gathered in Bondi this week for a major regional leadership conference marked by mourning, spiritual resolve and a renewed commitment to rebuilding Jewish life after the devastating Bondi Beach terror attack.
Slain captive Ran Gvili’s parents to visit Jewish community in Australia
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 6:42 pm
The parents of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last hostage whose body was returned from Gaza, will travel to Australia on Feb. 18 to show solidarity with the Jewish community in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre. Read more
‘Heart of gold’: mum backs neo-Nazi fan after hate rant
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 6:07 pm
The mother of a man who threw his support behind neo-Nazis and incited hatred against Jews during an Australia Day rally speech claims he just made a mistake. Read more
Campus antisemitism exposed, but community says response falls short
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 4:48 pm
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s ‘Respect at Uni’ report, released this week, has exposed the deep and personal impact of antisemitism on Australian university campuses. Read more
Israel’s ZIM Shipping sold to Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd for A$5.2 Billion
Monday, February 16, 2026 at 6:46 pm
The Israeli shipping company ZIM is set to change hands, with Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd and the Israeli investment fund FIMI jointly acquiring the company in a deal valued at approximately A$5.2 billion, Israeli officials announced Sunday. Read more
Israeli leaders denounce orthodox violence against soldiers
Monday, February 16, 2026 at 6:33 pm
A mob of Orthodox (Haredi) men chased two Israel Defence Forces servicewomen through the streets of Bnei Brak on Sunday, overturning trash cans and a police vehicle before officers managed to extract the soldiers to safety. Read more
Anthony calls on Jessica to capture second Gold
Monday, February 16, 2026 at 6:15 pm
Jakara Anthony had an Olympic great in her corner with Jessica Fox on hand to help the Australian skiing superstar get back on track after early disappointment. Read more
Ryvchin questions timing of protest prayer at Town Hall
Monday, February 16, 2026 at 5:49 pm
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin has suggested that a group of Muslims performing sunset prayers during last week’s chaotic Sydney protest appeared to have carried out an “orchestrated stunt” aimed at inflaming community divisions.
Previous Articles and Features
Video
Shelley Segal and Prince Chapelle
Sport
Anthony calls on Jessica to capture second Gold
Monday, February 16, 2026 at 6:15 pm
Jakara Anthony had an Olympic great in her corner with Jessica Fox on hand to help the Australian skiing superstar get back on track after early disappointment. Read more
Jewish Australian Scotty James wins Olympic silver in Milano Cortina halfpipe
Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 4:24 pm
Jewish Olympian Scotty James has claimed silver for Australia in the men’s snowboard halfpipe at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing behind Japan’s Yuto Totsuka in a dramatic final at Livigno Snow Park.
First ever Israeli bobsleigh team qualifies for Winter Olympics
Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 6:01 pm
Israel’s bobsleigh team has qualified for the Winter Olympics for the first time, to be held next month at venues across Lombardy and northeastern Italy. Read more
Our Guy: Israeli wheelchair tennis star aims for Grand Slam sweep
Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 5:36 pm
Israeli tennis player Guy Sasson is on the cusp of one of Israel’s greatest sporting milestones. Read more
Features and Articles
Far-right antisemitism: “a growing cancer”
An article by my friend Thane Rosenbaum should be read by and circulated to all those ostrich-like political conservatives who ignore, deny or trivialise present-day antisemitism in their midst. Read more
The conversations that actually matter after Bondi
Since the Bondi massacre on 14 December, the Jewish community has carried a familiar mix of grief, vigilance, and exhaustion. Read more
Hannah Senesh: dream and reality
Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin Read more
From grief to hope: reflecting on a solidarity visit to Australia
A distance of 14,000 kilometres separates Sydney, Australia, from Jerusalem. Yet it is a distance that seems to vanish in a moment of a single embrace. Read more
Marianne Helene Mathy – distinguished teacher of opera and classical singing Read more
Campus antisemitism exposed, but community says response falls short
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s ‘Respect at Uni’ report, released this week, has exposed the deep and personal impact of antisemitism on Australian university campuses. Read more
This week’s cartoon: UN Notes from the Underground Read more
Pressure Jordan – not Israel – to end the Jewish-Arab conflict
There is continuing pressure on Israel to agree to the creation of a Palestinian Arab state between Israel and Jordan (two-State solution). Read more
HAVE YOU HEARD? / READERS SAY...
Jewish House launches ‘Unbreakable’ program to support Jewish adults facing antisemitism
Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 4:10 pm
Jewish House has launched ‘Unbreakable’, a new self-guided online resilience program to support Jewish adults facing antisemitism, at an event in Sydney on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, alongside Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper and Joseph La Posta, Coordinator General for Bondi Support.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 11:46 am
Douglas Murray recommends it, Richard Kemp hosts it, Hugh Kitson directed it, and anyone who wants to defend Israel should watch it. Read more
Choosing optimism: Eddie Jaku’s story comes to the Sydney Opera House
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 5:02 pm
The extraordinary life and outlook of Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku will be brought to the Sydney Opera House stage in May 2026 with the Australian premiere of The Happiest Man on Earth, a one-man play starring and produced by Anton Berezin.
Brighton Shule welcomes new rabbi
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 5:16 pm
Brighton Hebrew Congregation has appointed Rabbi Gershom Baraza as its Congregational Rabbi, starting today. Read more
SHIR to perform at ‘Australia Day Live’ in historic first for Jewish music
Friday, January 23, 2026 at 5:40 pm
SHIR will take to the stage at ‘Australia Day Live’ this Monday night on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House, marking a first for the national event and a moment of deep significance for the Jewish community.
Young-Gen
Moriah Scholars in Entrepreneurship Program ignites innovation and visit to Israel
The Moriah Scholars in Entrepreneurship Program is uniquely designed to inspire entrepreneurship and innovation among our Year 11 students. Read more
Moriah College students excel in HSC
Moriah College’s Class of 2024 has delivered exceptional results in the Higher School Certificate (HSC), underscoring the school’s academic rigour and commitment to holistic student development. Read more
Two Mount Scopus students achieve ATAR score of 99.90
Mount Scopus graduating class’s efforts have gained praise from principal Dan Sztrajt. Read more
Jessica Fox wins another top gong at Sport NSW awards
Champion paddler Jessica Fox has won another gong, named Sport NSW’s athlete of a year for a remarkable sixth time.
Read more
Seven-year-old Zachary’s mission to support the wounded
Seven-year-old Zachary Berman, a Year 1 student at Mount Sinai College in Maroubra, Australia, is turning personal challenges into a mission of compassion. Read more
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