Hamas-Fatah: Israeli Embassy perspective

The Israeli embassy in Canberra has released information on the agreement  between Hamas and Fatah.  J-Wire publishes its comments in full in order to clarify the Israeli viewpoint… Read more

Barmitzvah in Mumbai

Mendel Slavin has celebrated his Barmitzvah at Chabad House in Mumbai, India…the scene of the fatal terrorist attack in November, 2008. Read more

Israel – A Boycott Without A Buoy

The recent attempt by the Marrickville Council in Sydney to impose a boycott on its purchase of Israeli goods and products spectacularly collapsed after the Council was advised by its Chief Officer that enforcing the boycott would cost its ratepayers four million dollars. Read more

Israelis charge Australian with Spying for Hamas

An Australian citizen who lived in New South Wales has been charged in Israel with spying for Hamas. Read more

The Marrickville Council meeting

J-Wire reader Jack Pinczewski attended the Marrickville Council meeting. Here is his report…. 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

 

 

Marrickville Israel Boycott Dumped – Senator asks ACTU to Follow

Marrickville Council has abandoned its bid to boycott Israel.
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Security of Sydney’s Jewish community

Ian Sandler, Chief Executive Officer of Sydney’s Jewish Communal Appeal, reflects on the security of our community and how hundreds of people make a difference. Read more

Marrickville Council to vote on Israeli boycott

Marrickville Council will vote on Tuesday on a motion to rescind its controversial Israel boycott. Read more

Religious books rescued from earthquake damaged Chabad house

Almost 1000 religious books have been rescued from the heavily damaged Chabad house in Christchurch. Read more

Israel’s Record of Self-Investigation: Obvious to Anyone who Looked.

With the NSW Greens so busy demanding a boycott of Israel for various crimes against humanity it appears that they have failed to keep up to date with the news. Richard Goldstone, lead investigator of the UN inquiry into the 2008 Gaza conflict, recanted some of the reports most incendiary findings and praised Israel for her ability to investigate herself and ensure that those few Israeli soldiers who violated the laws of war are brought to justice. Read more

Deal to bolster tourism between Israel and New Zealand

Israel and New Zealand have signed a reciprocal deal allowing tourists to work for three months without an additional visa. Read more

NGO Pesach dinner

100 leading non-government organizations and Jewish leaders came together at a special NGO Passover Dinner in Sydney. Read more

Memorial in Christchurch for Israeli earthquake victims

Israel will pay for a memorial to be built in memory of the three Israelis killed in the Christchurch earthquake, pledged Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin. Read more

Israel’s New Zealand Embassy officially opened

During his official visit to New Zealand, the Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin, joined the Speaker of the New Zealand parliament Lockwood Smith in the official opening of the new Israeli Embassy in Wellington.  Read more

Protocols on Sale in Sydney

Copies of the antisemitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion were on sale at Lakemba Mosque on Sunday. Read more

Historic Tonga visit

The speaker of Israel’s Knesset  has made an historic visit to the island of Tonga in the South Pacific. Read more

St Ives Eruv decision deferred.

More than 300 supporters and 50 opponents heard that a proposal by  Orthodox Jews in Sydney for a new Eruv has suffered a setback. Plans have been deferred. Read more

They are all special children

In just over a week we will celebrate Passover, which begins with the Pesach Seder. One of the themes of the Seder is the “four sons”. We read that there are four different types of children that need to be educated and included in the Seder experience: Read more

Israeli-Australian Water Co-operation

The KKL-Jewish National Fund has hosted a conference in Israel on the topic of storm water management in water sensitive cities. It was attended by the top experts in the field from Israel and Australia, along with KKL-JNF representatives from both countries. Read more

Goldstone Gazumped on Gaza

Richard Goldstone now faces bitter condemnation from Israel following his belated admission that his infamous Report was wrong in finding that Israel had intentionally targeted civilians during its invasion of Gaza in December 2008. Read more

Howard plants trees in Israel

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard took time out during an official visit to Israel to plant trees in the Jewish National Fund’s Australia Park in the Jerusalem Forest. Read more

Apr-07 Melbourne: Klezmer with a difference

Beyond the Pale…Eurofolk fusion

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The Goldstone Mea Culpa

One would surely have expected that when Richard Goldstone felt impelled to belatedly retract his previous appalling defamation of Israel, he might have selected a more appropriate outlet to make his statement than an obscure op-ed column in a Washington newspaper. Read more

Rivlin meeting goes smoothly

Twenty pro-Palestinian protestors ranted “Shame” as Reuven Rivlin, the Speaker of the Knesset, spoke to 250 members of Auckland;s Jewish community last night. Read more

Palestine – Understanding the Present by Remembering the Past

An article recently written by a retired Commodore of the Royal Saudi Navy – Abdulateef Al-Mulhim –  titled “What if Arabs had recognized the State of Israel in 1948?” – has been acknowledged by many as  a brave initiative by a prominent Arab to step outside the almost monolithic Arab viewpoint that has consistently refused to recognize Israel in the 73 years since its establishment in 1948.  Read more

Australian M-E expert to talk in St Ives

One of Australia’s leading Middle East experts will analyse the current turmoil in the Arab world at a special community briefing in St Ives next week. Read more

Coalition to give Greens another chance

Senator Eric Abetz plans to give the Greens the opportunity to acknowledge that Israel is a legitimate and democratic state… Read more

Midnight

Before the exodus from Egypt, G-d told Moses that He would deliver the final blow to the Egyptians, the plague of the firstborn, exactly at midnight. The Zohar explains that midnight also became the defining moment of freedom for the Jews. Although they did not physically leave until the next morning, they became spiritually free exactly at the moment of midnight.  Read more

Elli meets the “family”

Elli Mantegari met the Wellington Jewish community this week…and thanked them for reuniting her with the family who saved her life as a baby in war-ravaged Amsterdam. Read more

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