Scotched on the Rocks
July 1, 2012 by Rabbi Chaim Ingram
I remember fondly my first English teacher in high school, Mr. Shinebaum a.h.. On the very first lesson he strode into the classroom, cane in hand, and proceded to instil the “fear of heaven” into us by informing us what Henry (the name of his cane) would do if we would step out of line…writes Rabbi Chaim Ingram. Read more
UN Holds the Key to Israel’s Refugee Dilemma
June 29, 2012 by Raffe Gold
Refugees define the failing state of a Nation, of a society where wars are waged across borders and between cities, tribes, clans and families, where thousands of innocent people suffer in the crossfire and become casualties like those we’ve just seen in the recent deaths off the coasts in Indonesia..writes Raffe Gold. Read more
Just Do It
June 29, 2012 by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
Many things that we do and experience require a combination of emotion and action. The absence of feeling can affect the sincerity of the action and minimize its effectiveness..writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie. Read more
Palestine – Israel Readies To Extend Its Sovereignty Into West Bank
June 29, 2012 by David Singer
Regular visitor
June 28, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
The Sydney-based United States Consul-General Niels Marquardt is a regular visitor to Bondi’s Our Big Kitchen operated under the auspices of Chabad…. Read more
Moshe Ya’alon – Strategic Thinker and Leader
June 27, 2012 by Isi Leibler
A recent interview by journalist Ari Shavit with former IDF Chief of Staff, now Vice Premier, Moshe Ya’alon, provides a fascinating insight into the thinking of one of Israel’s most sophisticated political leaders and covers the crucial challenges facing the nation. It deserves to be widely read…writes Isi Leibler.
How to avoid toxic relationships
June 27, 2012 by Odile Faludi
Odile Faludi catches up with Rabbi Michoel Gourarie…and they discussed toxic relationships. Read more
Peres Conference Provides Platform for Farrakhan Fan
June 25, 2012 by Isi Leibler
Towards the close of the fourth President’s Conference, Russell Simmons the African American hip hop mogul, the co-sponsor of Rabbi Marc Schneier’s “Foundation for Ethnic Understanding”, made an outrageous statement accusing ADL head Abe Foxman of alienating Afro Americans just as Farrakhan had alienated Jews…writes Isi Leibler. Read more
Book Review: Genesis – Book 1 [Adam Exx] by Fraser Beath McEwing
The story of humanity’s creation has been told since our first consciousness. Questions of where we came from, how we arrived and who or what were the agents of that arrival have mystified us since we became sentient beings…writes Alan Gold Read more
Palestine – Semantic Skullduggery Sinks Solutions
June 22, 2012 by David Singer
The Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Information has now issued a book instructing Palestinian Arabs on the words they should use to replace ” the Israeli and American dissemination of poisoned terms”…writes David Singer. Read more
Always half full
June 21, 2012 by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
Last week I attended a school assembly for young children at Kesser Torah College (Sydney) where my seven year old daughter was performing…writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie. Read more
Revisiting Australian media
June 21, 2012 by Emily Gian
I have just returned to the office after some leave time and, as usual, my desk is piled high with newspapers. The headlines from yesterday’s papers catch my eyes: “Fairfax to shrink jobs, newspapers” (The Age), “Fairfax downsizes its future” (The Australian), and this inspired one from The Australian Financial Review, “Fairfax spearheads digital age”…writes Emily Gian. Read more
Promote Aliya Now
June 20, 2012 by Isi Leibler
The Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization are holding their meetings in Jerusalem during this week. Alas, the issue of aliya, which warrants priority on their agenda, beyond a few words of lip service, will almost certainly be shunted to the sidelines…writes Isi Leibler. Read more
Revisiting Kabul
June 19, 2012 by Rob Getreu
As my inbound flight descends through the cloudless sky into Kabul, I am reacquainted with the barren mountain range that surrounds this ancient and desolate capital…writes Rob Getreu. Read more
Face to Face with Joe Vissel – video interview
June 18, 2012 by Henry Benjamin
J-Wire introduces you to Joe Vissel. There are hundreds of photographs in museums and galleries including the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra bearing his siganture but his name is barely known in the community. Meet Joe Vissel… Read more
Dissent in Israel is a Dirty Word
June 18, 2012 by Raffe Gold
Israel is celebrated, even by it’s enemies, as the only true liberal democracy in the Middle East…write Raffe Gold. Read more
Take a Risk
June 17, 2012 by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
Growth, change and self development isn’t always easy. It requires a lot of effort and some risk taking…writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie. Read more
Concerning Self-Hating Jews
June 15, 2012 by Isi Leibler
In a column appearing in The Independent, the fiercely anti-Israeli UK daily, “”, Avram Burg, former Speaker of the Knesset, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and scion of one of Israel’s renowned religious Zionist families, commended the UK government for measures designed to boycott Israeli goods produced beyond the green line and urged the EU to do likewise “in Israel’s interest”…writes Isi Leibler. Read more
Palestine – Rabbis for Human Rights Become Political Power Brokers
June 15, 2012 by David Singer
Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) – a leading non-government human rights organization (NGO) in Israel – has made an unprecedented attack on the integrity of Israel’s High Court – whilst simultaneously attempting to undermine what little is left of the stalled Peace Process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority…writes David Singer. Read more
The Finkler Question
The great strength of the Finkler Question is that its depiction of what are called “ashamed Jews” so closely matches the reality we all know: There are in Australia and elsewhere a small group of anti-Zionist Jews, who hate Israel, who hate the vast majority of Jews who support Israel, and who often reserve a special venom for the many other Jews on the Left who are not ashamed of Israel…Philip Mendes@Limmud-Oz. Read more
Al-Zarnoog and Bet El- A Tale of two settlements
June 13, 2012 by Ari Briggs
In the beginning of the twentieth century, a group of Zionist Jews acquired a parcel of land measuring around 160 acres (65 hectares) in the Negev, in the area of Moshav Nabatim, between Beersheba and Dimona…writes Ari Briggs. Read more
Calling all Jewish Singles – Australia awaits you!
June 11, 2012 by Odile Faludi
Australia is the land of plenty and when it comes to single Jews we have many…writes Odile Faludi. Read more
Palestine – Ulpana decision answers Israel’s detractors
June 9, 2012 by David Singer
Israel has effectively answered its detractors in its measured response to a ruling by Israel’s High Court ordering the demolition of five stone structures in the West Bank settlement of Ulpana – erected on what the Court deemed to be private Palestinian land…writes David Singer. Read more
A Cat Can’t Fly
June 8, 2012 by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
One day towards evening when it was getting dark, two friends Yankel and Berel saw something in the distance. Yankel thought that it was a bird while Berel claimed that it was a cat…writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie. Read more
Religion and State at the Crossroads
June 7, 2012 by Isi Leibler
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his new coalition partner, Shaul Mofaz, have pledged to introduce legislative reforms which will ensure that all Israeli citizens – including haredim and Arabs – will be obliged to fulfill their civic duty by serving in the IDF or undertaking a form of national service…writes Isi Leibler. Read more
Grandeur, drama and melancholy in big helpings
June 7, 2012 by Fraser Beath McEwing
A favourite concerto and a seldom-heard symphony made for an exciting concert by the SSO as part of the Ausgrid Master Series last night writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more
Australia’s $90 million gift to UNRWA “a blunder”
June 5, 2012 by David Bedein
The May 28th 2012decision of the Australian government to increase its allocation to the United Nations Relief and Works agency, UNRWA, the agency that serves Palestinian Refugees and their descendants – by 450% – from $19 million to $90 million, with funds geared for the most part to the UNRWA educational system, warrants careful examination…writes David Bedein. Read more
Stolen Lives, Stolen Minute
May 30, 2012 by Jack Chrapot
In less than two months, the Games of the XXX Olympiad will take place in London; a sporting pageant featuring athletes from over 200 nations competing in 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines. The programme will cover nineteen days and hundreds of hours of competition and yet, the International Olympic Committee cannot find a minute to spare during the Games to honour the memory of the eleven Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists forty years ago at Munich…writes Jack Chrapot. Read more
What’s with the name?
May 11, 2012 by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
Question:
Recently I have been attending BINA and am really enjoying it. The classes are interesting and well structured, presented in a welcoming and non-threatening way. However, I have one question. Why do you call yourselves BINA? I know it means ‘understanding’ but aren’t there other words in Hebrew for learning and knowledge like “Chochma” or “Daat”. So why Bina?…writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie. Read more
Palestine – Two Opportunities Better Missed
May 4, 2012 by David Singer
Israel’s former Foreign Minister – the late Abba Eban – is remembered for his many wise and pithy comments – of which the following is probably the most memorable:
“The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”…writes David Singer. Read more
