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
SMH covers Jewish Council’s condemnation of Israel over the death of Zomi Frankcom
Sydney Morning Herald recently covered the Jewish Council’s statement condemning Israel. An excerpt from Max Kaiser quoted in the update: “[W]ith each passing day, it becomes clearer that Israel is a rogue state”. Click here to read the full coverage.
Read The Guardian’s piece about the Jewish Council
The Guardian has recently published a piece about the Jewish Council and its objectives. An excerpt from Sarah Schwartz’s comments as published in the piece: “We came together because of the abject failures of many of our Jewish representative organisations in Australia to truthfully portray the Jewish community as being diverse.” Click here to read…
Australia must cut all military ties and place sanctions on Israel
[Image credit] The Jewish Council of Australia calls on state and federal governments in Australia to immediately cut all military ties and place sanctions on Israel amid the escalating violence in Gaza. On 28 March, the International Court of Justice ordered additional provisional measures in the case brought by South Africa against Israel for violating…
The Guardian quotes Sarah Schwartz’s criticism of reports that Palestinian refugees are having their visas cancelled
The Guardian recently quote Sarah Schwartz’s criticism of reports that Palestinian refugees are having their visas cancelled. An excerpt from her statement as reported by The Guardian: Many Jewish people have family histories of fleeing persecution and violence, and understand the importance of Australia meeting its obligations under International Law to protect the human rights…
Max Kaiser and Sarah Schwartz op-ed in The Jewish Independent: “It is not treachery for Jews to criticise Israel’s conduct of the war”
Max Kaiser and Sarah Schwartz have recently had an op-ed published in The Jewish Independenttitled “It is not treachery for Jews to criticise Israel’s conduct of the war.” An excerpt from the piece’s opening: Australia’s Jewish representative bodies do not speak for all Jews. Those who are critical of Israel are struggling to make their…
Alleged Nazi salute at Melbourne screening of Holocaust film
[Image credit] Recent reports allege that yesterday a group of people engaged in hate speech and performed the Nazi salute during a screening of a film about the Holocaust – The Zone of Interest – at a cinema in Melbourne. This event cannot be taken in isolation, the National Socialist Network aims to get media…
Na’ama Carlin and Elizabeth Strakosch piece in Crikey: “Never Again is Now rallies against antisemitism are not what they seem”
Executive and advisory committee members Na’ama Carlin and Elizabeth Strakosch have recently had a piece published in Crikey titled “Never Again is Now rallies against antisemitism are not what they seem”. An excerpt from the opening of the piece: Far from fighting racism, groups like the Never Again is Now movement intentionally conflate antisemitism with…
Senator Henderson must explain participation in event with far-right extremist organisation
[Image credit] The Jewish Council of Australia expresses deep concern over Senator Sarah Henderson’s scheduled participation in a zoom event with the Australian Jewish Association (AJA), an organisation with reported ties to far-right extremist elements. Henderson is scheduled to speak at a zoom event titled ‘Education Off the Rails’ with the Australian Jewish Association on…
Palestine supporters at arts festivals are no threat to Jews
[Image credit] Palestine supporters at arts festivals are no threat to Jews The Jewish Council of Australia are concerned about intensifying media rhetoric painting Palestinians and their supporters as antisemitic and as damaging of First Nations-Jewish relationships. This week, there have been a number of news stories on ‘splits’ in Australian writers festivals. These stories…
Jewish Council of Australia urges the Australian Government to reject racism against Palestinian people fleeing persecution in Gaza
[Image credit] This week Sky News reported it had a list with the personal details of 500 Palestinian people who had obtained visas to flee overwhelming violence in Gaza, 81 of whom are in Australia. The Jewish Council of Australia is concerned for the safety of the Palestinian people who have had their identities exposed…
Max Kaiser speaks to The Guardian about the relationship between fighting antisemitism and the larger fight against racism
Max Kaiser recently spoke to The Guardian for a piece titled “Scott Morrison accuses UN of antisemitism and applying double standards against Israel.” An excerpt of Max’s comments as quoted in the article: It does not assist the fight against racism to treat antisemitism as different from other forms of racism and to conflate antisemitism…
Sydney rally: A conflation of antisemitism with criticism of Israel
[Image credit] The Jewish Council of Australia is concerned about a pro-Israel rally, which took place over the weekend in Sydney, framed under the misleading banner of fighting antisemitism, and organised by the group ‘Never Again is Now’. The Council is concerned that some Jewish representative bodies supported this rally, which exploited Jewish fear about…
Max Kaiser guest appearance on Future Perfect podcast
Max Kaiser guest recently appeared on the debut episode of the Future Perfect podcast. From the show notes: On the inaugural episode of Future Perfect, Dylan is joined by Dr Max Kaiser, historian and executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, to discuss the Council’s formation and concerns of Israel’s actions in Gaza and…
The Jewish Independent piece on the Jewish Council
The Jewish Independent has recently published a piece titled “New Jewish Council seeks to draw a line between Jews and Israel”. The lede of the story: “Conflating Jews and Israel fuels antisemitism, argues a new Australian Jewish anti-racism advocacy group.” Click here to read the piece.
Jewish Council of Australia speaks out against unfolding massacre in Rafah
[Image credit] The Jewish Council of Australia is horrified by what we are witnessing Israel do in Rafah in the name of Jewish people. The Australian government should be working with other countries to put an end to Israel’s vicious and escalating assault on a trapped population. The world is watching a plausible case of…
Sarah Schwartz speaks to The Guardian about the campaign for the Albanese government to reverse its UNRWA funding suspension
Sarah Schwartz recently spoke to The Guardian for a story titled ‘Life-saving work’: Albanese government under pressure to reverse UNRWA funding suspension. An excerpt of her comments as quoted in the story: Minister Wong’s admission that she did not have all the evidence regarding the allegations against UNRWA before deciding to pull funding indicates that…
Jewish Council of Australia says not all Jews agree on UNRWA funding withdrawal
[Image credit] The Jewish Council of Australia today expressed concern about the revelation that Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, did not have sufficient evidence about allegations against staff at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) before pausing funding. The Jewish Council is troubled that so-called Jewish representative organisations are campaigning against UNRWA…
Sarah Schwartz speaks to 6 News about the launch of the Jewish Council
Sarah Schwartz has recently spoken to 6 News about the launch of the Jewish Council. Click here to watch an excerpt of the interview on X (Twitter).
Op Ed in The Age: As Jews, we don’t accept that criticism of Israel’s government is antisemitic
Today, talk about antisemitism is everywhere – in newspapers, conversations between friends, and especially on social media. Many Jews feel scared. They are told to see antisemitism in the scarves worn in solidarity with Palestine, in the words “Free Palestine” voiced at protests, and in the stickers calling for the boycott of Israeli products. But…
Jewish Council of Australia launches to provide expert voice on antisemitism and racism in Australia
In response to the pressing need for an independent expert body to address antisemitism and racism in Australia, a dynamic coalition of Jewish scholars, historians, human rights lawyers, and writers has joined together to establish the Jewish Council of Australia. The Council was formed to fill a void in Australia of an independent expert Jewish…
