Iran’s fingerprints behind Hamas’s murderous rampage, analysts say

Current and former Israeli defence officials suspect Iranian influence played an important role in Hamas’s decision to stage a series of mass murder and kidnap raids on the South on Saturday. Read more

Benjamin Disraeli and Sucot

I have always admired Rabbi Marc Angel. He is the Emeritus Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Yisrael, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York a position he has held since 1969. Read more

Spitting in God’s eye

Earlier this week, ultra-Orthodox Jews parading through Jerusalem’s Old City passed a group of Christians bearing a large wooden cross. Some of the Jews spat on the ground in the Christians’ direction. Read more

Songs from the Book of Life

A concert review by Alex First Read more

Climate Change

One of the “hottest” topics gaining increasing attention these days is the phenomenon of climate change. Read more

Rabbinical heads meet the Premier

NSW Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig has introduced two leading members of Sydney’s rabbinical community to Premier Chris Minns. Read more

Israel-Saudi normalization has nothing to do with Biden

During its first years in office, the Biden administration had difficulty saying the words “Abraham Accords,” let alone taking actions to follow up and expand upon the Trump administration’s foreign-policy triumph. Read more

Recipe for disaster 

After hours of watching TV coverage of massive public demonstrations both in Israel and abroad, including interviews with the “Let’s wash our laundry in public crowd,” I’d had enough! Read more

From Australia’s Jewish Past: Ernest Samuel Marks CBE – sportsman, Sydney’s first Jewish Lord Mayor; wool buyer, politician, and community identity

Ernest was born on 7 May 1871 in West Maitland, New South Wales. Read more

Sh’mini Atzeret/Simchat Torah: Rabbi Apple explains

Rabbi Raymond Apple writes on the upcoming festivals. Read more

Time out

When the holidays are over, we will be recharged, ready to face 5784–and whatever it might bring… in theory. Read more

Israeli, Saudi sources: US focus on Palestinians harming normalisation

There is growing frustration among Israeli and Saudi officials over what they see as an overemphasis by Washington on having Jerusalem make concessions to the Palestinians as a means of moving forward in the normalization process between the kingdom and the Jewish state. Read more

Dare to dream

Two facts and a conclusion: Read more

Abandoning 2002 Arab League Initiative trashes UN & EU policies

The fall from grace of the failed two-state solution proposed by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and its replacement with the 2022 Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution has left United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) policies in total disarray. Read more

Fatal delusions

On Yom Kippur, we prayed that in the coming year, we should be spared various afflictions. Read more

Rabbi Raymond Apple on Sukkot

Sukkot says a great deal about Judaism. Read more

What is not fit to print is printed. What is fit to print is not printed.

A New York Times reporter got away with posting a strangely worded, one-sided feature that sends a message that the Palestinians are long-established inhabitants of the land that is now governed by the state of Israel. The Palestinians  are even described as “indigenous.” Read more

Worldwide Sukkah Directory 

A worldwide registry of Sukkahs is now listed online at www.localsukkah.org. Read more

Love Lust Lost (Broad Encounters)

A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First Read more

Washington’s UN envoy blasts Abbas, Jewish violence in Security Council meeting

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, had harsh words for both Israelis and Palestinians at the U.N. Security Council’s monthly meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian file on Wednesday. Read more

Podcast: L’Chaim to Life: Rabbi Yoseph Nerenberg

Maurice Klein speaks with Rabbi Yoseph Nerenberg, Manager of Jewish Life at Jewish Care, who started off as assistant Rabbi and kosher supervisor at Montefiore Homes and has been Rabbi of Age Care at Gary Smorgon House since it opened in 2009, managing the department that puts the Jewish and the L’Chaim in Jewish Care. Read more

Succot: Fun or Politics

Succot is the most innovative and multifaceted of all our Festivals. Coming after the solemn Holy Days it is the most fun, too. And it concludes with a day of national unity, something that seems as unlikely and remote now, as it ever did in the past. Read more

Feintooner

This week’s cartoon: United Nations Stepping Stone Read more

Why the referendum holds special meaning for Australia’s Jewish community

Collective Jewish memory is the essence of our faith. It is the intimate knowledge that exists deep within each of us and belongs to all of us…writes Dr Aharon Friedland. Read more

From Australia’s Jewish past: Johanna, George and Judit Korner – a family international beauty business

Johanna was born on 21 July 1891 at Fogaras, Hungary (Romania) to Alfred Adler, a photographer, and his wife Helena. Read more

50 years since the Yom Kippur War: KKL – JNF unveils rare photos from the battlefield for the first time

The Yom Kippur War broke out on Yom Kippur, October 6, 1973, with an attack by Arab armies against Israel, led by Syria and Egypt, with support from Arab states, primarily Iraq and Jordan. Read more

My Father’s Shadow: a memoir – written by Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo

A book review by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen Read more

On the other hand

Usually, the day after we pray for rain at the end of Succot, the heavens open up, and the long-awaited precipitation descends. Read more

The Yom Kippur fast

It’s a fast “sandwiched” between two feasts. Read more

Bibi & MBS flag their talks could include implementing HKOPS

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) and Israel’s Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu have given their clearest indication to date that current talks between them to normalise relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel could include their reaching agreement on the terms to successfully implement the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution (HKOPS). Read more

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