Remembering Sam Fisher – this was a man
A Shloshim service has been held in Sydney to honour the memory of Sam Fisher, the former president of both Moriah College and Central Synagogue. Read more
What do the Chinese think about the Jews?
What DO the the Chinese think about the Jews? Check here to find out…. Read more
Labor visits the Great
Sydney’s The Great Synagogue has been visited by more than 50 members of NSW Young Labor who experienced their first ever Shabbat dinner. Read more
Betar NSW Celebrates New Home with a Communal BBQ and Fun Day.
The Zionist Youth Movement, Betar, has just unveiled its new Mao”z (center) in the White City complex in Paddington. Read more
Yom Ha’azmaut questions
The entry fee to the concert was $20 for 2 adults and $5 for my daughter. For that, the audience was was subjected to various speeches – dull – other than The Weiss girl- no relation and then highly irrelevant talent quest – none of which related to Zionism or the celebration of Israel. Read more
ANZAC Service at North Shore
The North Shore Synagogue for Shabbat 28th April Anzac service has Peter Allen as a guest speaker
Peter Allen had the privileged to represent FAJEX (the Federation of Australian Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women) and the Australian Jewish Community at the Dedication of the Fromelles Military Cemetery, France, on 19th July, 2010.
SBS discuss the future for Jewish/Hebrew radio programs
The Executive Director of the ECAJ, Peter Wertheim, and the CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, Vic Alhadeff have met with Dirk Anthony, Director of Audio and Language Content at SBS, and Thang Ngo, SBS Strategy and Planning Manager, to discuss the proposed new criteria for SBS Radio programming. Read more
Crowe to play Noah
Australian actor will star as Noah in a movie to be made this year by Arnon Milchin’s New Regency Productions. Read more
On Cardinal George Pell
I viewed the interactive public affairs program Q & A hosted by Tony Jones last night (9.35 p.m. Monday, 9th April)…writes…Liat-Kirby-Nagar. Read more
The Israel Museum in your hands
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, has joined the Google Art Project (www.googleartproject.com), making its galleries and hundreds of highlights from its permanent collection accessible online to audiences in Australia and New Zealand….including the Dead Sea Scrolls. Read more
Perlman for Sydney’s Yom Hashoah
The author of The Street Sweeper – nominated for the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award – will feature at this month’s Holocaust remembrance ceremonies. Read more
A Pesach Slavery Message
As Pesach fast approaches, the Union for Progressive Judaism (UPJ) and ARZA (the Australian Reform Zionist Association) call all members of our community to take the messages we learn from our Haggadot and to speak out to condemn slavery globally. Read more
Embassy reponds to March to Jerusalem
The Israeli Embassy in Wellington has issued a statement commenting on the “Global March to Jerusalem”. Read more
Short + Sweet Finalist
Melbourne actress Taylor Klas will compete in this weekend’s short + sweet short play festival at Sydney’s Seymour Centre. Read more
JNF stalwart honored in Israel
A memorial plaque has been unveiled in the Australia Park in Western Galilee in honor of Sol Schildkraut, who passed away last year. Read more
Slobedman wins Sir Zelman Cowen prize
The 2012 Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund Prize for Medical Research has been awarded to Associate Professor Barry Slobedman, Discipline of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, University of Sydney and Centre for Virus Research, Westmead Millennium Institute. Read more
Miles Franklin nominations
Two Australian Jewish authors have been nominated for this year’s prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award. Read more
Bob Kucera on Toulouse
Bob Kucera, a former West Australian Labor minister, is Chairman of the Friends of Israel (WA). He sends readers this message following the murders in Toulouse… Read more
Kosher cooking by celebrity chefs
On the last Tuesday of each month one high-flying Sydney chef prepares a scrumptious and easy to cook menu for 15 girls and 15 guys in at Bondi Our Big Kitchen. Read more
$6 footnote for seniors
Watch Footnote (2012 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film) in Sydney for only $6 for seniors ($12 general) at the Young at Heart Seniors Film Festival. By Israeli director Joseph Cedar, Footnote is a clever satire set in the world of Talmudic studies. Read more
Cookbook award for Judy and Pnina
“One Egg is a Fortune” has been awarded Best in the World as winner in its category, “Australia-Pacific – Fundraising, Charity and Community”, at the 17th annual Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Read more
Grandparents – Our Hopes and Dreams: Book review
Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren must sometimes long for a chance to share their experiences with other grandparents in the same situation. Reading Sally Kabak’s book is like having that conversation over a nice cup of tea. It combines a first-person narrative with a wealth of useful advice, all relayed in Kabak’s distinctive voice…writes Susan Adcock. Read more
London Klezmer group for Shir Madness
The London Klezmer Quartet will appear at Jewish music festival Shir Madness in Sydney next month as part of an Australian tour. Read more
Lunch with Kivi Bernhard
Chabad of Melbourne CBD recently hosted Kivi Bernhard, one of the worlds 10 top Platform Speakers, as its Guest Lecturer at a recent lunch. Read more
Yeshiva Centre Gala Dinner
The Yeshiva Centre – Chabad NSW HQ has held its annual Gala Dinner….and presented a silver menorah to NSW Governor Professor Marie Bashir. Read more
New Israel Fund Australia announces patrons
Martin Indyk, who was raised in Australia and was a two- time United States ambassador to Israel, and Ronni Kahn, founder and CEO of the food rescue organisation OzHarvest, have become inaugural patrons of the Australian branch of the New Israel Fund. Read more
2012 Law Service
Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence spoke to members of the judiciary at Sydney’s The Great Synagogue’s annual Law Service last week.
Australian government condems attacks on Israeli diplomats
In a statement from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia has condemned the attacks on Israeli diplomat in India and Georgia. Read more
SBS rules that “The Promise” does not vilify Jews or Israelis
An internal investigation by SBS into complaints of anti-Jewish racism associated with the four-part series The Promise, broadcast in late 2011, has concluded that “the series does not, demonise Jews either individually or as a collective, nor deny their individual and collective right to self determination and therefore does not vilify Jews or Israelis.” Read more
ECAJ “The Promise” Complaint not about Bias
Harold Zwier and Larry Stillman were published in The Age [ Letters 18/1] and agree with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) that the Jewish characters portrayed in The Promise are generally unsympathetic in comparison with the Arab characters, but disagree that this bias amounts to antisemitism.
The ECAJ’s complaint is not about bias. It is about racist stereotyping of Jews throughout the series. Numerous examples are listed in the Table provided by the ECAJ and in the text of the complaint itself.
All of the principal characters who are Jewish are portrayed in a deeply negative way – betrayers (the Judas stereotype), murderers of innocents (blood libel), thieves (Fagin), ruthless and amoral (Shylock) and so on.
If a series about the Israel-Palestinian conflict portrayed every Arab character as a murderous terrorist, betrayer or thief or a vocal supporter of these, perhaps the racism would be more evident to Messrs Zwier and Stillman.
The reference to the Nazi propaganda film is solely to illustrate that an award-winning, critically-acclaimed film can nevertheless be deeply tainted by racism.
I do not believe that every criticism of Israel is antisemitic. [I wonder what the reaction would be if Palestinians or Arabs and Muslims were depicted is such a negative manner and SBS were to promote DVDs to ensure wide coverage.] It is equally false to suggest that no criticism of Israel is antisemitic. There is clearly some overlap. The test is whether the criticism makes use of anti-Jewish stereotypes. The Promise certainly did so.
Michael Burd
Toorak, Vic.
