Four journalists from around Australia have addressed Melbourne supporters of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) to reflect on their recent participation in AIJAC’s Rambam Israel study program.
The returning journalists were: Chris Jones, Editor of the Hobart Mercury; Erin Jones, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Adelaide Advertiser; Michelle Griffin, News Director at The Age; and Brian Carlton, host of Tasmania Talks.
The journalists told the gathering they were impressed by the Rambam program, which gave them the opportunity to meet a wide variety of Israelis and Palestinians and a large selection of viewpoints from both experts and local residents.
They said the program had expanded their first-hand knowledge of the region and given them a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the issues that affect Israelis and Palestinians that are not as black and white as they are sometimes reported in Australia.
Joel Burnie, Associate Director of Public Affairs for AIJAC, was liaison for the group.