A Gaza problem without a solution
July 26, 2018 by Jonathan S. Tobin - JNS.org
U.S. President Donald Trump’s belief in his negotiating skills was so great that at one point, he claimed that achieving peace in the Middle East wouldn’t “be as difficult as people have thought”…writes Jonathan S. Tobin. Read more
Syrian rockets land on Sea of Galilee area amid beaches crowded with swimmers
July 26, 2018 by JNS
At least two Syrian rockets hit Israel’s Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) on Wednesday with beaches full of swimmers nearby amid the summer vacation season. Read more
IDF strikes Hamas after soldier hit by Palestinian sniper, using kids as shields
July 26, 2018 by JNS
The Israel Defence Forces hit several targets in the Gaza Strip late Wednesday after a Palestinian sniper moderately injured a soldier patrolling near the border. Read more
International legal group works to remove Holocaust-denial content on Facebook
The Lawfare Project filed take-down notices this week against Facebook posts denying the Holocaust and containing antisemitic material, successfully leading to several posts being removed or blocked by Facebook in a number of countries. Read more
Harold Finger joins world executive of Keren Hayesod-UIA
July 26, 2018 by Jenna Chaitowitz
UIA Australia is proud to announce that Federal President Harold Finger has been invited to join the World Executive of Keren Hayesod-UIA. Read more
Games of self-delusion?…asks Rabbi Chaim Ingram
July 26, 2018 by Rabbi Chaim Ingram
Are you a fan of Game of Thrones? Or not? Either way, read on …. Read more
Trump exposes UN hypocrisy on PLO, Hamas and Israel
July 26, 2018 by J-Wire
President Trump has challenged United Nations (UN) member States to put their money where their mouths are in a hard-hitting speech delivered by US Permanent Representative to the UN – Ambassador Nikki Haley – at a UN Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East on 24 July. Read more
Netanyahu: Israel will not tolerate ‘spillover’ from Syrian civil war
July 25, 2018 by TPS
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning Tuesday that Israel will “not accept any… spillover into our territory” by warring parties in Syria, and cautioned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that Israel views the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement with Syria as inviolate. Read more
U.S. President Trump: A balance sheet
July 25, 2018 by Isi Leibler
U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin served to increase the paranoia about him to an all-time high…writes Isi Leibler. Read more
This is a message to every mother and to every father
July 24, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
The message is delivered by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…. Read more
Stone falls from Western Wall
July 24, 2018 by TPS
Tzipi Livni named opposition leader
July 24, 2018 by Yona Schnitzer - TPS
Former Foreign Minister and current Chairwoman of the Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni has been named chairwoman of the opposition following the departure of Isaac Herzog, who was named as the new Chairman of the Jewish Agency last month. Read more
First operational use of david’s sling missile intercept system as sirens sound on Golan Heights
July 24, 2018 by Yona Schnitzer - TPS
COA’s new special needs program funded by local council
July 24, 2018 by J-Wire
Sydney’s COA’s weekly bus outings are a blessing to those seniors who want to engage with their friends and enjoy a short walk and lunch in company. Read more
A failure at state-building, Hamas sticks to military build-up in Gaza
July 24, 2018 by Yaakov Lappin
Tensions between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip remain high, following a period when Gazan terror factions fired large numbers of projectiles at southern Israeli regions, drawing return Israeli airstrikes. Mass arson attacks targeting Israeli farms and villages that were orchestrated by Hamas appear yet to have stopped, and an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire looks uncertain. Read more
The Nationality Law brouhaha: The failing of Jewish national will?
July 23, 2018 by Martin Sherman - Mida via JNS
[A] nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavors, sacrifice, and devotion. … The nation is a soul, a spiritual principle. Two things … constitute this soul or spiritual principle. One is the possession in common of a rich legacy of memories; the other is present-day consent, the desire to live together, the will to perpetuate the value of the heritage that one has received. – Ernest Renan, “What is a Nation?” 1882. Read more
Feintooner
July 23, 2018 by Feintooner
This week’s cartoon…immoral clarity. Read more
A Jewish Youth Advisory Council for Macnamara
July 23, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
Mary Delahunty plans to establish a Jewish Youth Advisory Council with membership of 25 people to come from the youth group movement in the Melbourne seat of Macnamara. Read more
New head of education at Sydney Jewish Museum
July 23, 2018 by Community newsdesk
The Sydney Jewish Museum has appointed Dr Rebecca Kummerfeld as Head of Education and Susan Wakil AO Chair of Education. Read more
How does Judaism deal with adultery?
July 23, 2018 by Rabbi Raymond Apple
Ask the rabbi? Rabbi Raymond Apple answers this and other questions. Read more
Courage to Care launches young leadership program
July 23, 2018 by Community Editor
Thanks to a generous grant from the ORAH Project, Courage to Care has launched a program targeted at Jewish children and youth leaders in our community aiming to empower the future generation of youth to become ‘upstanders’ not ‘bystanders’ as well as attempting to make a difference whenever possible in the world. Read more
800 Syrian rescue workers flee country via Israel
July 23, 2018 by Yona Schnitzer - TPS
Eight hundred Syrians affiliated with the White Helmet civil rescue organisation entered Israel from Quneitra in southern Syria Saturday night. IDF soldiers met the refugees and transferred them to a secure site in northern Jordan. Read more
What do we expect from a Jewish state?
July 22, 2018 by Jonathan S. Tobin - JNS.org
When the sun rose over Israel the day after a new basic law officially designating it as the “nation-state of the Jewish people,” the country was no different than it was the day before…writes Jonathan S. Tobin/JNS. Read more
After massive IDF retaliation following death of soldier, ceasefire holds
July 22, 2018 by Agencies
A tense ceasefire held on the Gaza border Saturday following several waves of Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in the Strip in retaliation for the death of a soldier shot dead by sniper fire. Read more
Aida…spectacular and phenomenal: an opera review by Victor Grynberg
July 22, 2018 by Victor Grynberg
The reader may think this headline refers to the much-anticipated digital set for this new production of Verdi’s great opera by Opera Australia. Read more
On the other hand…
July 22, 2018 by Michael Kuttner
Mourning for the destruction of Jewish independence and the Temples is now behind us. We have proven that we can overcome tragedies. Israel’s breathtaking achievements continue to amaze…reports Michael Kuttner. Read more
Do you know any descendants of Auschwitz inmate Willy Brachmann?
July 22, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
The Sydney Jewish Writers Festival
July 20, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
The Shalom │ Sydney Jewish Writers Festival (SJWF) returns in August 2018 with a diverse range of international guests, local talent and timeless tales of survival and triumph.
Nine days to reflect
The nine days between Rosh Chodesh (New Month) of Av and Tisha B’Av, commemorating the destruction of both Temples and subsequent calamities is an ideal opportunity to reflect, remember and draw conclusions…writes Michael Kuttner. Read more
France’s reputation is at stake again over the murder of Sarah Halimi
July 20, 2018 by Ben Cohen - JNS.org
For the second time in 20 years, France basked in the accomplishment of winning the World Cup with a team whose diverse backgrounds were as much a symbol of national unity as the creative brand of soccer they played. Read more
