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
Sarah Schwartz op ed in The Guardian: “When you first heard me speak against this genocide, you heard my words as betrayal. But they were meant as love”
Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz recently had an op ed published in The Guardian titled “When you first heard me speak against this genocide, you heard my words as betrayal. But they were meant as love”. An excerpt from the beginning of the piece is below: To those I have lost – the teachers, mentors, loved…
Ohad Kozminsky appears on ABC discussing Christian Zionists’ interpretation of Israel as the “promised land”
Executive Member Ohad Kozminsky recently appeared on ABC’s Pacific Soul program. From the episode description: Ohad Kozminsky, executive member of the Jewish Council of Australia, says Israel was never a “promised land” and debunks the claims put forward by Christian Zionists, explaining his interpretation of the Torah. ‘Click here to listen to (or download) the…
Two years on: as long as Israel’s genocide continues, our responsibility remains
October 7, 2025 This week marks two years since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and two years since the Hamas-led attacks that killed over 1,000 people in Israel and saw hundreds taken hostage. As talks over a new “peace plan” begin, this anniversary is a reminder that peace and safety will never…
Bart Shteinman speaks at interfaith panel on combatting all forms of racism
Executive Member Bart Shteinman recently spoke at interfaith panel on combatting racism hosted by the Anglican Church. Below is an excerpt from the start of his speech: I’m going to ask you to imagine yourself in Footscray Melbourne, December 1938. A Yorta Yorta man, William Cooper, is leading a 10km march of his fellow Indigenous…
Max Kaiser speaks to Deepcut News about Jillian Segal
Executive Officer Max Kaiser recently spoke to Deepcut News for a story titled “Exclusive – Jillian Segal declared conflicts for Envoy role. Why won’t the government reveal them?”. Below is an excerpt from his statements published in the story. Segal’s conflicts of interest highlight exactly why her appointment in a role supposedly meant to combat…
Bart Shteinman speaks to ABC Radio Canberra about Rosh Hashanah
Bart Shteinman recently spoke to ABC for the show Canberra Mornings about what Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year means for him and for Jews everywhere who are opposing Israel’s genocide. Click here to listen to the show on the ABC website.
On Revolution – in Palestine, Syria and beyond
What is a revolution, exactly? Where and how does it begin, and, perhaps more importantly, how does it end? This event is not the usual story of revolution: one of Kings and Generals, grand military or revolutionary acts, Che Guevara or Ahmed al-Sharaa style military fatigues and the storming of the capital. Rather, this event…
Sarah Schwartz speaks to Ette Media about News Corp’s treatment of Jewish Council’s “stop starving Gaza” ad
Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz recently spoke to Ette Media about News Corp’s treatment of Jewish Council’s “stop starving Gaza” ad. Below is her apperance on the “We Used to be Journos” podcast with Jan Fran and Antoinette Lattouf. The segment about the Jewish Council’s ad starts around 13:30. Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts.…
Tashlich 5786/2025 with the Jewish Council
The Jewish New Year period is once again upon us, and this year the Jewish Council will be holding an open gathering for Tashlich. There will also be some informal discussion after the ceremony. When: Sun 28th Sep 2025, 3:30pm-5:30pmWhere: Alexandra Gardens, MelbourneCost: A $5 donation to Olive Kids (+ processing fee) Click here to…
Max Kaiser speaks to SBS about Australia’s recognition of Palestine at the UN
Executive Officer Max Kaiser recently spoke to SBS for a story titled “Australia recognises Palestinian state at the UN”. An excerpt of his comments from the story: It certainly puts Australia at odds with Israel and the United States, but I think that’s to be welcomed. The real problem with this move is that it…
Recognition of Palestine not enough, Sanctions Must Follow to Stop Genocide
Media Release For immediate release: 22 September 2025 Recognition of Palestine not enough, Sanctions Must Follow to Stop Genocide SYDNEY – The Jewish Council of Australia affirms the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to self-determination—a right that has been systematically denied by the Israeli state. Australia’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine is a response…
Jewish Council’s Newscorp ad (and its backlash) covered by Haaretz
Haaretz recently published an article about the Jewish Council’s Newscorp ad (and its backlash) titled “Progressive Jewish Australian Group Sparks Backlash With Ads Urging Sanctions on Israel”. An excerpt from the article quoting Executive Officer Max Kaiser is below: We’ve never claimed to represent the Jewish community as a whole, and we think that no…
Sarah Schwartz speaks to The Guardian about the Jewish Council’s News Corp ad
Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz recently spoke to The Guardian about the Jewish Council’s News Corp ad. An excerpt from her comments is below: Our ad really disrupts the message that all Jews support Israel and the message frequently put forward in News Corp newspapers that any criticism of Israel is antisemitic. We have to keep…
Sarah Schwartz speaks to ABC Radio Melbourne about the Jewish Council’s News Corp ad
Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz recently spoke to ABC Radio Melbourne about the Jewish Council’s News Corp ad “calling for our government to sanction Israel NOW for the genocide in Gaza”. Click here to listen to the interview on the Jewish Council’s Instagram page.
Jewish Council launches ad campaign Demanding Government Sanction Israel for Genocide, Condemns Australian Complicity
September 18 2025 The Jewish Council of Australia has today launched a national campaign with adverts in the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun featuring the faces of hundreds of Australian Jews, calling on the Australian government to take drastic action to halt Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian people. As part of this campaign, the…
Max Kaiser speaks to Crikey about the shutting of Meanjin
Executive Officer Max Kaiser recently spoke to Crikey for a story titled “Who killed Meanjin?”. An excerpt from his quote in the article is below: [Meanjin’s] loss is not just a literary blow. It signals a narrowing of public debate and unfortunately a chilling message to people daring to support the publication of inconvenient truths.…
Dennis Altman review of “58 Facets: On Law, Violence and Revolution” in Inside Story
Advisory Committee member Professor Dennis Altman has recently published a review of 58 Facets: On Law, Violence and Revolution in Inside Story. An excerpt from the start of the review is below: At the risk of oversimplification, there are two Jewish responses to the current devastation in Palestine: the tribal and the humanist. Sadly we…
Antony Loewenstein releases documentary: “Germany’s Israel Obsession”
Advisory Committee member Antony Loewenstein recently released a documentary titled “Germany’s Israel Obsession”. Below is an excerpt from the introduction of the video on Al Jazeera’s YouTube channel Prominent Jewish Australian journalist Antony Loewenstein returns to his ancestral home, Germany, to investigate how the country’s impulse never to repeat the horrendous anti-Semitism that led to…
Antony Loewenstein speaks to the ABC about Germany’s Gaza protest crackdowns
Advisory Committee Antony Loewenstein recently spoke to the ABC’s David Marr for a story titled “What’s behind Germany’s Gaza protest crackdowns?”. Below is the description of the episode: In a new documentary for Al Jazeera, Jewish-Australian journalist Antony Loewenstein return to his ancestral home, Germany, to investigate how the country’s impulse never to repeat the…
Antony Loewenstein speaks at the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties annual dinner
Advisory Committee Antony Loewenstein recently spoke at the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties annual dinner. Below is an excerpt from the start of the speech: Here’s a thought experiment. Imagine if at least 60,000 Jews had been murdered in the last two years. The perpetrator was a self-described democracy with full Western backing.…
