Australia & NZ.

After numerous anti-Israel letters to the editor were published in The Press during April/May 2019, co-director of The Israel Institute of New Zealand, Dr David Cumin, wrote in to provide balance and facts on some of the issues. Mr Minto took particular issue with the statement that the Middle East …

Earlier this month on Saturday 2 November 2019, I, along with 2 friends from the Israeli community in New Zealand, went to show our support as Jews and Israelis with the Kurdish people following their betrayal by President Trump and the subsequent attack on them by Turkey. Being the first …

  MEDIA RELEASE ECAJ annual Report on Antisemitism in Australia 24 November 2019 There were 368 recorded antisemitic incidents in Australia during the year ending 30 September 2019, according to the annual Report on Antisemitism in Australia, published by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry(ECAJ).  The incidents were logged by …

A group based in New Zealand has been found to have dozens of antisemitic posts and comments on its Facebook account. The national debate in New Zealand about online hate is being had at all levels of society, with Prime Minister Ardern meeting with other world leaders to garner support …

Growing up in Auckland, I knew I was a bit different. Christmas wasn’t a big deal for me. My family didn’t have a Christmas tree and a wreath on our door, and 25 December was the most boring day of the year. Often, we would travel to a holiday destination …

Our Prime Minister has been outspoken about the need for social media companies to stop the spread of violent and inciting material.  Particularly in the wake of a terror attack on New Zealand soil, this would seem to be an indication that our government takes terror seriously. However, some actions …

Last week, Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere caused outrage when he uttered the Nazi salutation “sieg heil” in a debate with Mayor Phil Goff. Tamihere claims his point was that Goff is like Hitler because he purports to dictate what speech is acceptable for Aucklanders to hear.  And of course, the …

The children of the Cairns Jewish Community baked and delivered honey cakes as a present for the Jewish New Year to the Cairns based 51st regiment of the ADF today. The children made the cakes together at the weekly Sunday kids programme and delivered them to show support for their local army base. “It …

New Zealand has now joined the Swiss, Dutch, and Belgium governments in suspending donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following an internal report that found “credible and corroborated” allegations of serious ethical abuses including “sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal …

During a recent visit to Israel, Bougie Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and former leader of the Opposition, asked me how life was Down Under in the ‘Golden Medina’. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was America that held the auspicious title, Die goldene medina as …

The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) has called on the Australian government to reconsider funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following the revelation of rampant corruption at the highest levels of the scandal-riddled organisation. A recent internal UN ethics report was found to have documented “credible …

This was an interview that touched on the status and circumstances of Mizrahi (‘eastern’) Jews in Israel.  The presenter was Jonathan Green, and the Executive Producer was Claudette Werden.  The interviewees were Orly Noy, an Israeli born in Iran and Sara Saleh, an Australian citizen of Palestinian background.  Ms Noy …

The world’s attention is once again turned towards the fraught relationship between Iran and the U.S. and the growing threat of a military confrontation – a situation given much coverage in the media, both here in New Zealand and abroad.  What has been less well-covered, particularly in the New Zealand …

The United Nations continues to be a place where Jew-hatred flourishes and sadly New Zealand has played a role in propping up antisemitic organs of the UN and supporting anti-Israel resolutions. And there is Jew-hatred in the United Nations – the actions of the global body have made the annual …

Immigration New Zealand’s ‘State of Palestine Refugee Quota Factsheet’ presents a one-sided, distorted and politicised narrative of the Israel/Palestine conflict and totally erases Israel from the map. The fact sheet is on the Immigration New Zealand’s website and its purpose is to inform people about Palestinian refugees coming to New …

Elections are usually a time of colourful candidates and robust debates, of tedious ads and glittering promises.  However, the 2019 Australian federal election campaign was marred with an unusually high number of incidents of racism and bigotry directed towards candidates.  Candidates of Aboriginal, Asian, Jewish and Arab-Muslim background were targeted. …

Israel Institute of New Zealand co-director, Dr David Cumin, is calling for a moratorium on any further Kiwi taxpayer funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) until serious issues of corruption, antisemitism and extremism within that agency are resolved. UNRWA was established in 1949 and is the …

Julian Leeser is a Jewish MP who is is standing for re-election in the Federal seat of Berowra in NSW. in the upcoming Federal election. The following is posted with his permission from his Facebook page after a series of antisemitic graffiti attacks. ======= I am proud to be a …

ECAJ condemns latest Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.   5 May2019 The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) condemns the actions of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups in Gaza which over the last two days have fired more than 450 rockets, mortars and other explosive projectiles targeted at civilian …

Greg Barns’s diatribe against Israel and his apologia for dumped ALP candidate Melissa Parke (Talking Point, April 22) are sadly typical of the way the facts can get lost when it comes to much commentary about the Middle East. Barns accuses Israel of foreign interference in Australia’s domestic politics and …