Nine denies Lattouf contempt over pro-Israel lobbyists

Lobbyists who complained about a pro-Gaza ABC host have said Nine should be prosecuted for contempt for publicising their names and exposing them to vitriol. Read more

France sets annual Dreyfus commemoration day

France will hold an annual day honouring Alfred Dreyfus, the French-Jewish military officer who was falsely accused of treason in 1895, President Emmanuel Macron declared on Saturday. Read more

Nazi chic and soft-soaping the Jew-baiters

Let’s conduct a thought experiment. Let’s imagine that Nazism had broken out of its wartime German-dominated confines and had become the creed of millions throughout the West. Read more

Cancer experts alarmed by teen sunbathing trend in Israel

A new nationwide survey commissioned by the Israel Cancer Association has revealed a troubling trend: nearly one-third of Israeli Jewish teenagers continue to sunbathe frequently, despite widespread awareness of the risks associated with ultraviolet exposure. Read more

On the other hand

One of the phenomenal aspects of life in Israel is a determination, after any tragedy, to rebound, rebuild and renew. Read more

JNF Australia launches 2025 campaign to rebuild and heal Israel’s North and South

JNF Australia has launched its 2025 annual campaign, Together, We Rise With Israel, inspired by the resilience shown by Israelis since the October 7 terror attacks and recent Iranian missile strikes.

Headlining this year’s campaign is former hostage Eli Sharabi, 52, who will visit Australia to share his harrowing story of survival. Sharabi was held captive for 491 days after being abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. Upon his release in February, he learned that his wife Lianne and daughters Noiya and Yahel had been murdered that same day.

“Surviving captivity has shown me the power of resilience and the unbreakable spirit of the Israeli people,” Sharabi said. Now a global voice for hope and remembrance, his visit to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth is expected to galvanise the community.

Eli Sharabi met Israel’s President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence this week.

During their meeting, Sharabi presented the President with his book “Hostage”, a powerful and rare testimony of his harrowing experience in captivity. He also announced that the book has been translated into English and will be published in the United States on the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre.

In an emotional appeal directed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump, Sharabi said: “This is the moment. We are waiting and hoping. The families of the hostages need closure, they need peace, they need their loved ones home, whether alive or, God forbid, to be buried with dignity. I ask both the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Israel to make the final effort and bring this to an end.”

The JNF 2025 campaign will support a suite of recovery initiatives, including water infrastructure in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, therapeutic learning and trauma support in Nir Oz and Ein Hashlosha, reforestation at Misgav Am, and mental health programs in Kiryat Shmona.

“For nearly two years, Israelis have been under siege, yet remain determined to rebuild. We must match their resilience with action,” said JNF Australia CEO Doron Lazarus. “This campaign is about more than infrastructure — it’s about restoring lives and hope.”

Since October 7, JNF Australia has backed over 60 recovery projects, with the 2025 campaign reinforcing its long-standing partnerships with frontline communities.

“What October 7 taught us is that Israel needs the Diaspora more than ever — and we need Israel,” said JNF Australia President Pam Krail. “Our greatest weapon is strength from within.”

Lazarus added: “The missiles may have shattered homes — but not hope. Together, we rise with Israel.”

Annie

A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First Read more

Ohad graduates as a doctor in Gaza

While his classmates celebrated the completion of their medical degrees, Ohad was serving inside Gaza. Read more

New Israel-EU agreement opens humanitarian aid routes, increases flow to Gaza

Israel and the European Union have agreed to significantly expand humanitarian aid access to Gaza, officials confirmed Thursday, following weeks of negotiations aimed at improving aid delivery and reducing the risk of diversion to Hamas. Read more

Kicking the can

Most of the problems we face today are as a result of them having in the past been “kicked down the road” for someone else to confront. Read more

Australia’s plan to combat antisemitism: Same here please asks the NZ community

New Zealand’s Jewish leadership has issued an urgent call for the Government to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy to combat antisemitism, in light of Australia’s bold new plan and the re-confirmation of a neo-Nazi group on New Zealand’s terrorism watchlist.
Read more

Is peace possible?

For the past two years, I’ve been conflicted, even close to despair, over whether real peace is ever possible in Israel, and under what conditions. Read more

Security guard, 20, killed in Palestinian terror attack

A 20-year-old Israeli man was murdered in a terrorist attack outside a shopping centre near the Gush Etzion junction south of Jerusalem on Thursday. Read more

Graffiti, drones, and cash drops: Israeli indicted in Iranian spy pot

State prosecutors indicted 27-year-old Or Beilin of Be’er Yaakov for alleged espionage on behalf of Iran. Read more

U.S. sanctions UN rights monitor for ‘political warfare’ against Israel

The United States has imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, citing her efforts to push for International Criminal Court action against American and Israeli officials. Read more

Hostages the priority as Gaza conflict grinds on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his meeting with US President Donald Trump focused on freeing hostages held in Gaza, as Israel continues to pound the Palestinian territory amid efforts to reach a ceasefire. Read more

Hamas says ready to free 10 hostages as part of talks

Hamas says it has agreed to release 10 hostages under ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying ongoing talks for a truce are “tough” due to Israel’s “intransigence”. Read more

Shabbat Balak

War and Peace Read more

Reading the Middle East correctly will be vital to Israel’s security

Prime Minister Netanyahu has shown that he too adheres to the ‘Begin Doctrine,’ which says that no country that threatens the existence of the Jewish state will be allowed the weapons to do so. Read more

 Segal’s antisemitism report urges bold reforms across education, media and migration

In response to a 300% surge in antisemitic incidents across Australia,  a landmark action report was today launched with the support of the government, aimed at combating anti-Jewish hatred.

Read more

An open letter from Benny Gantz

Dear Members of the Australian Jewish Community, Read more

Muslim leaders visit Yad Vashem

A delegation of leading Imams and Muslim community leaders from across Europe has visited Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Read more

Jewish community calls for urgent national action on antisemitism

Amid a palpable sense of “hyper-anxiety” within the Jewish community, a high-level roundtable convened by Wentworth MP Allegra Spender on July 3 in Sydney’s east issued an urgent plea for national action against escalating antisemitism.

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Lauder calls for Australia’s government to stand together with Jewish community

Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, has called on the Australian government to respond boldly to the recent antisemitic incidents in Melbourne. Read more

Trump meets Netanyahu twice, hope for Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left the White House after a second meeting with US President Donald Trump as Gaza ceasefire talks continue. Read more

Pam Krail heading JNF Australia

JNF Australia has announced the appointment of Pam Krail as its new National President, following over a decade of dedicated service to the organisation. Read more

Anti-hate group lauded as ‘fringe’ protesters slammed

Jewish groups are optimistic that an anti-hate task force will trigger political action as a small group of protesters is lashed over a violent confrontation. Read more

Roadside bomb kills five Israeli soldiers, injures 14

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded in a deadly roadside bombing in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun on Monday night, the Israel Defence Forces confirmed on Tuesday morning. Read more

The fight against antisemitism needs an upgrade

If we want to fight antisemitism today, why do we keep talking about the past as if it alone will save us in the present? Read more

Mother Play: a play in five evictions

A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First Read more

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