Jewish Council of Australia news & media
We aim to work with media personnel, politicians, and policymakers to provide expert Jewish voices on issues of antisemitism in Australia
Three years since October 7: Australian Government must step up in face of ongoing genocide and impunity for Israel
MEDIA RELEASE 7 October 2026 This week marks three years since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks that killed over 1,000 people in Israel and saw hundreds taken hostage. With no end in sight to the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, the Jewish Council of Australia reiterates its call for…
Kvetch Issue #2 open for submissions
Kvetch submissions are open for Issue 2! Kvetch is an alternative space for Jewish thought, expression & culture beyond Zionism — and we want your voice in our next edition. Theme: Untold Stories Share a story about a person, an event, a book, a work of art, a language, a relationship, that has been erased…
Kvetch Issue #1 available for download
A digital copy of Kvetch Issue #1 is now available to download for free. You can also read it online below:
Online event: Israel’s Elimination Project in the West Bank – 14 October
Hosted by award-winning journalist and Jewish Council Advisory member Antony Loewenstein, this important briefing will feature representatives from B’Tselem, a leading human rights organisation in Israel-Palestine speaking about their new report on the systematic dismantling of Palestinian collective life in the West Bank. The Elimination Project report looks at the current reality not as a…
Molly Crabapple Australian Tour
15–22 November 2026 | Melbourne & Sydney What can a revolutionary Jewish movement from a century ago teach us about solidarity and political action today? This November, the Jewish Council of Australia is bringing New York Times bestselling author, artist and journalist Molly Crabapple to Australia for four events spanning politics, history, art, music, and…
Here Where We Live with Molly Crabapple & Friends: An Evening of Solidarity – Sydney
What can a revolutionary Jewish movement from a century ago teach us about solidarity and political action today? At the centre of Molly Crabapple’s new book, Here Where We Live is Our Country, is the story of the Jewish Labour Bund from 1897-1945: a mass Jewish socialist movement that fought antisemitism, nationalism, Zionism and authoritarianism…
Here Where We Live is Our Country: Molly Crabapple In Conversation with Louise Adler (Sydney)
What happens when we recover a Jewish political history that is too often forgotten? Join New York Times bestselling author, artist and journalist Molly Crabapple in conversation with Jewish Council Advisory Committee Member Louise Adler about Molly’s new book, Here Where We Live is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund. Here Where We…
Here Where We Live is Our Country: Molly Crabapple In Conversation with Sarah Schwartz (Melbourne)
What happens when we recover a Jewish political history that is too often forgotten? Join New York Times bestselling author, artist and journalist Molly Crabapple in conversation with Sarah Schwartz about Molly’s new book, Here Where We Live is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund. Here Where We Live Is Our Country tells…
Here Where We Live with Molly Crabapple & Friends: An Evening of Solidarity – Melbourne
What can a revolutionary Jewish movement from a century ago teach us about solidarity and political action today? At the centre of Molly Crabapple’s new book, Here Where We Live is Our Country, is the story of the Jewish Labour Bund from 1897-1945: a mass Jewish socialist movement that fought antisemitism, nationalism, Zionism and authoritarianism…
Jewish Council calls on parliament to advance a Senate inquiry into Red Lines Package
MEDIA RELEASE 17 September 2026 The Jewish Council is deeply disappointed that the Red Lines Package was not referred for a Senate inquiry today, with both the Labor and Coalition parties voting against. The Jewish Council joined a broad coalition of human rights, faith and multicultural allies in Parliament on Tuesday for the launch of…
Online event: Interim Update on the Royal Commission – 16 September
20,000 submissions. 62 days of hearings across 7 months. 348 witnesses. The Royal Commission hearings have now come to a close and it’s been a monumental effort. Join key representatives from the Jewish Council of Australia for an interim update on the Royal Commission process, the impact of our participation, and what happens next. When:…
Jewish Council welcomes UK, Canada, France and others banning settlement trade, urges Australia to not be left behind
MEDIA RELEASE 09 September 2026 The Jewish Council of Australia welcomes moves by twelve countries including the UK, Canada, and France in restricting trade with illegal West Bank settlements and urges Australia to follow suit. The move to ban imports comes after an Israeli government announcement that it was pressing ahead with development of ‘E1’,…
Jewish Council welcomes Digital Duty of Care Bill, calls on all parties to back it
MEDIA RELEASE 08 September 2026 The Jewish Council of Australia has welcomed the Albanese Government’s Digital Duty of Care Bill, introduced to Parliament this week, describing it as a significant and overdue step towards the kind of platform accountability the Council has been calling for since the Bondi terror attack late last year. In its…
Human Animals: Australian Premiere Screening + Q&A with Producer Mhamad Babai – 17 September (Melbourne)
Human Animals, a documentary by David Wachsman and Mhamad Babai (17 Sep, Kino Cinema Melbourne) The Jewish Council of Australia is proud to present the Australian premiere of Human Animals, a new documentary from internationally acclaimed producer Mhamad Babai and director David Wachsmann. An important documentary event, don’t miss out. While Gaza experiences an unprecedented…
Complete Injustice for Zomi, Hind and Countless Other Victims: Jewish Council Says Australia Must Expel Israeli Ambassador
MEDIA RELEASE 20 August 2026 The Israeli Government’s decision not to pursue criminal charges over the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom is a grave injustice and strengthens the case for Australia to impose country-level sanctions and expel its ambassador in response. While the Israel Defense Forces have finally acknowledged for the first time,…
Tashlich on 13th Sep (Sydney + Melbourne)
The Jewish Council is once again organising a gathering for Tashlich, and we invite our community to join us. All are welcome. Since the Middle Ages, Jewish people have gathered during the New Year period for Tashlich. In this ritual we meet at a body of water to symbolically cast away our wrongdoings and prepare for the year to…
Settler Terrorism Must End: Jewish Council Urges Australian Government to Issue Country-Level Sanctions Immediately
MEDIA RELEASE 18 August 2026 The Jewish Council is calling on the Australian Government to issue country-level sanctions against the Israeli Government, as Palestinian families in the West Bank village of Qusra have spent nearly a week under siege by Israeli settlers. Palestinian residents in the West Bank have faced power and water cuts and…
Petition: Don’t let Israel define antisemitism
Israel’s defenders are pressuring Australian institutions and governments to adopt and enforce the IHRA working definition of antisemitism. Kenneth Stern, who drafted the definition, has warned its adoption is “a disaster” that is being “weaponised to go after Pro-Palestinian speech… and blind us to how antisemitism actually works.” NSW Supreme Court Justice Desmond Fagan has…
Jewish Council Calls on Australian Government to Demand Release of Gaza Doctor Whose Life Is in Immediate Danger in Israeli Detention
MEDIA RELEASE 09 July 2026 The Jewish Council of Australia is calling on the Australian Government to publicly demand the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital. Earlier this week, his lawyer and the Israeli human rights organisation Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) warned Dr. Abu Safiya’s…
Jewish Council condemns Israel’s deliberate targeting of children as UN inquiry reaffirms genocide finding
MEDIA RELEASE 24 June 2026 The Jewish Council of Australia condemns Israel’s actions in the strongest terms and urges country-level sanctions from the Australian government, following the release overnight of another independent inquiry that has found Israel is deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza. The conclusions of the report reinforce earlier findings that Israel is…
