How the Biden administration set the stage for a new war with Hamas

America’s European allies don’t get it. 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

If current Mideast violence a test, some experts say Biden is failing

The Biden administration has come under withering criticism in the United States and Israel for its poor handling of the current situation in the Middle East. Read more

Lots of luscious Ludwig: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

The lure of familiar Beethoven was probably enough to virtually covid-fill the Town Hall last night, but for those with more contemporary tastes, there were a couple of works for their corner too. Read more

Ask the rabbi

Rabbi Raymond Apples writes on Shavu’ot. Read more

How old politics in Ramallah, Gaza, Jerusalem and Washington have set Israel ablaze

After one of the calmest extended periods in decades in the Middle East—and in Israel, in particular—the tide has suddenly turned, reverting to classic political mistakes that have all but erased the positive gains. Read more

The Palestinian leaders’ Al-Aqsa hoax strikes again  

The anti-Israel response to the current Palestinian and eastern Jerusalem Arab violence was to be expected, particularly as it has been on a steady crescendo since the weeks leading up to and during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. Read more

The US has plunged its relations with Israel into crisis

In light of the reactions from Washington to the Hamas and Fatah-inspired Arab violence in Jerusalem, it is hard to see how Israel will be able to maintain a constructive dialogue about its relations with the Palestinians with the Biden administration or more broadly, with the Democrat Party. Read more

Can Israeli restraint keep the peace in Jerusalem?

After several days of unrest, the government of Israel is once again presented with a dilemma to which there are no easy answers. Read more

Is Palestinian incitement driving the tensions in Jerusalem?

Thousands of Arab protesters have been violently rioting on the Temple Mount (known by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif) throughout the “Jerusalem Day” holiday and over the course of the last several days, accusing Israel of attempting to “storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque” and “Judaize” the entire city. Hundreds of rioters have been injured, along with dozens of Israeli police and security personnel. Read more

Hamas’s destructive gamble to overtake leadership of the Palestinians

Hamas’s rocket assault on Jerusalem and southern Israel is a result of a dangerous and destructive decision by its leadership to gamble heavily in its power struggle with Fatah and to capitalize on what it sees as Israeli political chaos. Read more

Who was the first free Jewish migrant to Australia?

Australian history is divided on who was the first free Jewish settler. Read more

Anti-Jewish online discourse in Australia 2020 – five themes inciting violence

The internet allows free and unfettered expressions of all kinds of views, from the mundane to the malicious. While much online content is informative and educational, other content is vilifying and inciteful. Read more

Feintooner

This week’s cartoon – Self-flag-ellation Read more

Arab riots challenge private Jewish ownership rights in Jerusalem

Tension between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem has reached boiling point as Arab riots erupt threatening the postponement of Court-ordered evictions of Arab squatters from Jewish-owned houses in the area known as Sheikh Jarrah. Read more

On the other hand

Forget the political shenanigans currently enveloping those politicians still trying to cobble together an Israeli governing coalition. 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

Remembering the innocent lives lost in Meron

In the shadow of a Covid outbreak in Sydney, Australia the heads of the community and members of parliament came together (with COVID-19 regulations) for a memorial service in memory of the 45 young people who tragically lost their lives, in the greatest civil tragedy in the history in the State of Israel. Read more

Lapid and Bennett officially on the clock to end Netanyahu’s tenure

For the second time in a little more than a year, incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mandate to form a government has passed to his political rivals. Read more

The upside of Israel’s electoral mess

If someone in Israel just woke up after being in a coma for the last two years, they’d have a lot of catching up to do learning about what happened while they were asleep. Read more

A complex relationship made in heaven

For those wishing to improve relations between Jews and Christians, the extraordinary unmasking of Michael Elkohen as an undercover Christian missionary in Jerusalem has been something of a setback. Read more

Faith-based legislators lobby governments against ICC war-crimes probe of Israel

Saying he is “appalled and shocked” by the war-crimes accusations made by the International Criminal Court against Israel, Josh Reinstein, head of the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) and the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus (CAC), noted that it is “even more egregious since [the ICC] was started to stop atrocities like the Holocaust and rampant antisemitism.” Read more

KKL-JNF releases never-before-seen photos of Jerusalem

In honour of the 54th anniversary of Israel’s liberation of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) has released four photos from the days of the British Mandate before the establishment of the Jewish state. Read more

Armenian Genocide

April 24^th is the date of the annual memorial that  Armenians observe to recall the horrific massacres carried out by the Turkish Government in 1915. Read more

Remembering Meron – “45 for 45”

Both the Kesser Torah College Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools in Sydney have held a special memorial event in memory of the victims of the Mt Meron tragedy. Read more

JewishCare NSW and Jewish House sign MOU to help Job Seekers

JewishCare and Jewish House have signed an MOU this afternoon to provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to unemployment in our community by working together to support those who are facing unemployment.  A range of services will be offered including both individual and group support to help upskill clients and maximise their employability. Read more

Preventable and predictable

When tragedy strikes the often-heard explanation is that it was “an act of God” and therefore unforeseen and beyond the ability of humans to prevent it. Read more

Would you like some heavy water with your coffee?

A long-standing, unresolved puzzle concerns the taste of heavy water.  Regular water has no distinct taste but rumours indicate that heavy water tastes sweet. Read more

The Kashrut of Israeli politics

Fifty years ago this year, I first joined the Zionist Council of NSW as a youth movement representative and in all of these years, I have never written an article or opinion piece about kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) or more particularly, kosher certification. Until now. Read more

Biden administration ‘dead set’ on re-entering Iran deal, despite high price

In recent days, conflicting reports have emerged over the ongoing negotiations in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, leading to questions over to what extent the United States will undo Trump-era sanctions against Tehran…writes Dmitriy Shapiro. Read more

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