The Guardian’s Kate Shuttleworth reports from Az-Zayyem in the West Bank and speaks to local Arab residents who once more face uncertainty: “For 70 years they have been trying to get Arabs off the land so the Jews can move in. We feel like we can’t live, it’s not something people feel in the west, only […]
By Larry Stillman The Bnai Brith Anti-Defamation Commission appears to be living in isolation from the face of contemporary racism in Australia. Unlike other peak Jewish organisations, keen to condemn and distance themselves from all forms of racism, the Anti-Defamation Commission surprisingly, and in direct contradiction of its mission statement, remains silent on Islamophobia in […]
Below are links to the filmed footage from the July 25, 2015, ALP Fringe conference panel, featuring and organised by members of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) and the Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS). The topic for discussion was the demise of the process cemented by the Oslo Accords, and Australia’s possible role in […]
Produced by Zochrot, this maps shows settlements destroyed in Israel, ‘since the beginning of Zionism until the 1967 war’, as explained in the legend at the top. The Hebrew names of extant settlements as one would normally see on a map of Israel, are all still visible, though recede in pale gray into the background. […]
The following letter (written by Danya Jacobs and approved unanimously by the AJDS executive) was sent on behalf of the organisation to members of the ALP on Friday, 24 July 2015, prior to the Fringe Conference’s Zionist session and the APAN and AJDS panel session, which pertained to this crucial motion. Dear elected member, We […]
On May 5 2015, Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled to allow the army to demolish the entire village of Susiya and expel its residents, numbering around 340 men, women and children. Representatives of the Israeli Military’s “Civil Administration” informed residents of Susiya of their intent to demolish at least part of the village before […]
The Australian Labor Party will be holding its triennial conference in Melbourne on July 24-26. One of the motions to be considered is a revision on ALP policy towards Israel and Palestine. Current ALP party platform states that “Labor is committed to supporting an enduring and just two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, based on […]
The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS) has been associated with the Renate Kamener Orations in the past, as Renate was a dear member and supporter of AJDS. The choice of speakers has always been up to the Kamener Family, and we are participating again this year in order to honour her and raise funds for indigenous students. We […]
This is a shout-out to our members and supporters: Do you know of a permanent space that can house no more than 15 archive boxes? This is the entirety of the AJDS archive, a precious collection of materials that needs a new home. It is currently temporarily situated at Joan Nestle’s home but not for […]
I asked two of our members to answer 10 questions that were compiled as a way of introducing ourselves to one another. But I was also wondering about the importance of representing different kinds of Jewishness, the evolution of the AJDS, the current political atmosphere in Australia and the continuing restrictions on human mobility here […]
