Iran and Turkey key to Mideast chaos : Jonathan Spyer to AIJAC Webinar
In the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)’s latest webinar, Middle East analyst and author Dr Jonathan Spyer discussed the “war over the ruins” of a chaotic Middle East and particular regional flashpoints, with several economic and military dynamics exacerbated by the spread of COVID-19. Read more
Assistance for gay Aliyah
The World Zionist Organization is setting up a unit to work with the LGBT Jewish community. Read more
Australia’s oldest operating synagogue approaching its 175th anniversary
Hobart Synagogue, the oldest Jewish place of worship still in use in Australia, is about to turn 175 – and a certain medical crisis hasn’t stopped the anniversary from being turned to good use. Read more
The challenge for Jewish voices among progressives
Antisemitism takes many forms. It can come from the right or the left. It can be found in theology, but also in anti-religious political ideology…writes Suzanne Rutland Andre Oboler. Read more
Israel’s ambassador to UK reflects on global issues, namely Iran, before leaving office
Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom Mark Regev discussed Israel’s relations with Britain and its neighbours during a webinar on Thursday, his last live-streamed event before ending his five-year term as ambassador…writes Shiryn Ghermezian. Read more
The mad, mad, mad world of Roger Waters
So, what does Roger Waters think of music, his critics and the normal life we all want to get back to?…writes Lana Melman. Read more
A British mandate to recognize Israeli sovereignty
The legal right of the Jewish people to reconstitute their historic homeland was recognized at the San Remo Conference of 1920 and by virtue of the Mandate for Palestine that resulted from it…write Richard Kemp, Hugh Kitson and Simon Isaacs. Read more
Annexation vs. sovereignty: Words matter
Words matter. They drive narratives. They influence policy. And they shape people’s perceptions…write Arsen Ostrovsky and Richard Kemp. Read more
Senior Palestinian official: ‘Our only option is to sever ties with Israel and the US’
The Palestinians’ only option now is to “entirely reject” the U.S. peace plan and sever relations with the United States and Israel, according to PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat. Read more
Jewish pharmacist gets shop opened after looting by Floyd protesters
On Saturday, Jonathan Friedman stood with police officers and watched as protesters looted his store, Syd’s Pharmacy, at 7111 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles. Read more
Netanyahu: ‘The Palestinians have to concede, not Israel’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that applying Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, and in the Jordan Valley in particular, is a historical step. This is nothing new. Read more
Back to the future: making penpals
While many Holocaust survivors are feeling isolated right now, the Sydney Jewish Museum has launched a Pen Pal Project to connect students and Holocaust survivors with one another through letter-writing during these uncertain times. Read more
At War With COVID-19
Despite heightened tensions between countries over the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we face a common enemy incapable of negotiation. Read more
Police arrest woman for desecration of grave of IDF soldier
The police on Monday evening arrested a woman who is suspected of desecrating the grave of IDF soldier Amit Ben Yigal, who was killed in action last Tuesday. Read more
Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in Herzliya home
(Israel Hayom via JNS) Chinese Ambassador to Israel Du Wei was found dead in his Herzliya home on Sunday morning, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed. Read more
The Jordan Valley dilemma: A realistic approach
Article 29 of the national unity government agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party, agreed to on April 20, opens the door to territorial annexations in the West Bank. Read more
PA banks closing accounts of released terrorists after facing threats of legal action
Banks in the Palestinian Authority (PA) have recently begun to close accounts owned by terrorists who were released from Israeli through which tey receive stipends from the PA following an Israeli warning that the funds in the banks will be considered terror funding. Read more
The moral imperative to bring Malki Roth’s murderer to justice
On Aug. 9, 2001, 15-year-old Israeli-Australian Malki Roth was among the 15 Israelis and tourists slaughtered in a suicide bombing at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem. Read more
Netanyahu, Gantz agree: New government to be sworn in on May 13
(Israel Hayom via JNS) Israel will swear in a national unity government on May 13, agreed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz, late on Wednesday. The parliamentary process for legislating the new government is expected to be completed by Thursday afternoon at the latest. Read more
A letter from Israel
My name is Ashleigh Harris and this is my first semester on the Aardvark Israel gap year program. I am 18 years old from Melbourne. Read more
Netflix’s ‘Unorthodox’ degrades Chassidic Jews into caricatures
When my Facebook feed first filled with reviews of Netflix’s “Unorthodox,” I felt no urge to watch it. The well-worn genre of predictable coming-of-age stories about the glory of secularism dwarfing one-dimensional Chassidic characters didn’t spark my interest. Read more
Facebook and SZCNSW
I have attended every Yom Hazikoron commemoration since JNF’s Aviva Kogus and Noga and Rami Ganor organised the first one in the King David Room of the now-vanished Hall Street Hakoah Club in the early 1990’s Read more
The Plague of Otherness (And How to Cure It)
The term “social distancing” has become the definitive buzzword to describe the advice to avoid close physical contact to contain the COVID-19 pandemic…writes Dovi Seldowitz. Read more
Together we are stronger
A message to NSW readers Read more
The End of the Corona War
Economic, cultural, political and military institutions of countries are being hit or paralyzed by an invisible, biological enemy. Read more
Amid global pandemic, Israel and PA find ways to cooperate
At the time of this writing, Israel has suffered more 8,600 confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and counted 56 deaths, with the Palestinian administered areas of the West Bank and Gaza reporting more than 237 confirmed cases with at least one confirmed death. Read more
Professor Paul Zimmet’s message to Maccabi Life
As 2018 Senior Victorian Australian of The Year, one of my commitments was to work together with community organisations. In late 2018, this responsibility led to me joining the Advisory Board of Maccabi LIFE. Read more
Arab Israeli lawmaker lauds ‘heroic efforts’ of Arab terrorists’ mothers
A Member of Knesset (MK) of the Arab-majority Joint List released a video thanking the mothers of Arab terrorists for their “heroic efforts,” as a symbol of “appreciation” on Mother’s Day which was celebrated last Saturday in the Arab world. Read more
Joe Biden: Israel’s fake ‘friend’
Former Vice President Joe Biden has made a habit of describing himself as a loyal, stalwart friend and ally of Israel. At a campaign stop earlier this month, for instance, he declared: “I’m so proud of the Obama-Biden administration’s unprecedented support for Israel’s security.” Read more
Total lockdown ‘inevitable,’ says Israel’s Public Security Minister
In a conference call on Tuesday night with the heads of the country’s security branches, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan instructed the police and the rest of Israel’s domestic security apparatus to make preparations to implement a full closure, which the minister said was “inevitable.” Read more
