It was a wonderful afternoon and evening that the State Zionist Council and Carmel School organised this week for Yom Haatzmaut, with as many as 2,000 people enjoying a carnival on the Maccabi oval, almost half of whom stayed to enjoy the concert that followed.  There were plenty of community groups present, and activities.  Despite the long queues, [...]

Today begins the trial of the 27 people involved in the murder of French Jew, Ilan Halimi. You’re not likely to hear about this on the ABC, or hamaSBS, as it doesn’t fit their editorial designs. But it’s a story that needs to be told. Two years ago, Ilan Halimi was kidnapped by a group [...]

In an editorial in the Australian Jewish News on 17 April it was written as follows: “it’s a matter of concern that there is relatively little communal focus on Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance for Israel’s fallen soldiers, on April 27. Without these heroic figures, we would not be celebrating Israel’s 61st Independence Day. [...]

Unlike my colleague Yitro, I would like to share some thoughts about the Durban II UN conference that has recently concluded. What has been so frustrating about the media coverage of the latest UN blight on history, is that the significance and potential future impact of the latest collective security outrage has passed almost completely [...]

Having been away for a few weeks, and much richer from my experiences, I look forward to resuming blogging several times a week. Much has happened in the world in such a short space of time.  Each morning the sun has arisen, but there was one morning in particular, being Erev Pesach, when a large [...]