Film about Israeli lawyer who advocates for terrorists gets double Emmy nod
A controversial Israeli documentary about an Israeli attorney who represents terrorists received a double Emmy nomination on Wednesday. Read more
International lawmakers lay out roadmap to tackle antisemitism online
Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Anti-Semitism released an interim report on Wednesday highlighting ideas to battle anti-Jewish hate online. Read more
Shabbat Matot Masei
The Book of Numbers draws to a close with themes of tribes, journeys, and possessions, with the fight for survival, cities of refuge and vows, thrown in for good measure. Read more
Israeli President Isaac Herzog carries on a family tradition
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s path was paved by the generations that came before him…writes Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. Read more
Tzvi Ainsworth, 68, and Itty Ainsworth, 66: Devoted parents and Chabad community pillars
Modest and dignified, Tzvi and Itty Ainsworth were beloved by all who knew them and were noted for their generous hospitality and devotion towards helping others in need. Read more
Miriam Adelson donates 150 lifesaving ‘ambucycles’ to United Hatzalah
Passersby were treated to a striking sight outside Jerusalem’s City Hall this week when one-hundred and fifty bright orange “ambucycles” – motorcycles and scooters equipped with life-saving medical equipment – were lined in neat rows at Safra Square. Read more
Israelis fight despair while aiding survivors, rescuers in Florida calamity
“I saw in the news that you were coming from Israel for us, and I was waiting for you,” says a tearful young woman in Surfside, Florida, to members of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit (PCRU) from United Hatzalah of Israel…writes Abigail Klein Leichman. Read more
Indigenous Friends of Israel disagree with QLD Labor
Recently Queensland Labor voted on a resolution accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing, but Indigenous voices don’t agree. Read more
Nine ‘firsts’ you should know about Israel’s new government
For the first time in 12 years, Israel’s Likud Party and its head, Benjamin Netanyahu, have moved from the prime minister’s seat to the opposition in the Knesset…writes Abigail Klein Leichman. Read more
Netanyahu vows to topple Israel’s ‘dangerous’ new government
Israel’s opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to topple Israel’s new government “at the first opportunity.” Read more
Israel becomes first country to ban fur sales for fashion
Israel has become the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur for fashion (with a few exceptions), effective six months from now. Read more
Netanyahu calls emergency meeting of right-wing bloc
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called an emergency meeting of the right-wing bloc after Yesh Atid Party head Yair Lapid informed Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin late on Wednesday night that he had managed to form a coalition. Read more
How did Hamas become the darling of the West?
In February 2009, I wrote an essay about a symposium at UCLA that marked the beginning of Hamas’s penetration into academic circles…writes Judea Pearl. Read more
What does a Bennett-Lapid government mean?
Yesh Atid Party head Yair Lapid and Yamina Party head Naftali Bennett announced on Wednesday that they have secured an agreement to form Israel’s next government, thereby likely ending the 12-year consecutive term of Benjamin Netanyahu as the country’s prime minister…writes David Isaac. Read more
Former ADL head says he’s cancelling NYT subscription over front-page ‘blood libel’
Abraham Foxman, the director emeritus of the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League, tweeted on May 28 that he was cancelling his New York Times subscription because the paper had printed a “blood libel” on its front page. Read more
Critical Race Theory, Jews and Israel
According to the command of the Lord, the Israelites journeyed and according to the command of the Lord they camped. Read more
Two Israelis retell how they battled against attack by pro-Palestinians in New York City
Snir Dayan and Amit Skornik were hoping for a quiet bagel breakfast last week on a typical day in New York City…writes Alan Zeitlin Read more
New Zealand rallies for Israel
Simultaneous rallies were held in Hastings, Wellington and Auckland facing bitter cold in all centres, in support of the Jewish State. Read more
Misinformed celebrities lean on same old tropes
As the violence was escalating between the Palestinians and the Israelis these past two weeks—and the terrible but predictable death and destruction mounted—celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Mia Farrow, Viola Davis, Roger Waters, American singer Halsey and British pop-star Dua Lipa have taken to social media, slandering Israel and trafficking in classic antisemitic tropes about Jews…writes Lana Melman. Read more
May-30 Melbourne: Lone Voice The launch of The Wars of Isi Leibler
The launch of the book on the life of community identity the late Isi Leibler written by Suzanne Rutland. Read more
Gazan kids celebrate Ramadan in Israeli hospital, despite rockets
Twenty-one foreign children recovering from heart surgery in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon slept in a bomb shelter last week—just like thousands of Israelis—as air-raid sirens warned of incoming missiles from Gaza…writes Abigail Klein Leichman. Read more
Let my people be …writes a Moriah graduate in Israel
I wipe the sleep out of my eyes as I write this, sitting on the bed in the bomb shelter. Read more
South African Film Festival
The South African Film Festival (SAFF) will present an engaging program of nine documentaries, five features and two short films when it returns from 12 to 24 May. Read more
The Lost ANZAC Torah and a Remarkable Rabbi
This is the story of an important historical Sefer Torah, which was gifted to an Australian Jewish chaplain by the head of the Egyptian Jewish Community, Cattaui Pasha in Cairo, during World War I. Read more
‘I have already received my punishment,’ says ZAKA founder in suicide note
Co-founder and chairman of the ZAKA emergency service Yehuda Meshi Zahav, who is in critical condition following a suicide attempt on Thursday morning, left a suicide note in which he asks that his good deeds be remembered. Read more
Memorium: UK Jewish community marks loss of Prince Philip, beginning with prayer
As the United Kingdom honoured Prince Philip, who died on April 9 at the age 99, with a gun salute, flags at half-staff and the many who paid tribute outside of Buckingham Palace, Sabbath prayers for the longest-serving royal consort were a bit different in synagogues across the United Kingdom…writes Dovid Zaklikowski. Read more
The sound that commands us to remember
The sirens blaring as the State of Israel marks Yom Hazikaron—Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism—command us that we distinguish this day from all others. Read more
Yom HaShoah in Perth
At Perth’s Yom Hashoah commemoration last week, a symbol of the Jewish people’s regeneration as young Jewish West Australian Aaron Levine, sang the Partisans’ Song in Yiddish to the 350 strong audience. Read more
The future of Holocaust remembrance
Yom Hashoah is a day when Jews in their homeland and around the world remember their 6 million brothers and sisters who were so cruelly persecuted, hunted and murdered during the Holocaust…writes Gideon Taylor and Rabbi Israel Meir Lau. Read more
A definition of antisemitism that defends anti-Semites
In the latest instalment of Jews are our own worst enemies, a group of 211 professors have decided they should redefine antisemitism because they are not happy with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition…writes Mitchell Bard. Read more