Dictionaries needed for refugee kids in Melbourne

Jewish Aid is involved with a homework program for Nuba refugee children and youth, at the Preston Library from term 2 onwards.
They need pre-loved dictionaries and thesauruses donated for the kids; computers are not always available and dictionary skills are good to have.
People can drop them off at the Jewish Aid office or they can be can picked up from western suburbs AJDS people. Speak to Lisa Bucher at Jewish Aid (contacts are on the website)

What about AJDS Blogs?

There’s a lot of different opinion on the full range of issues considered by AJDS members, and occasionally, other people.
We hope you enjoy the diversity of opinion.

The ins and outs of the Mabhouh assassination

Let’s start at the beginning.
Sol Salbe
Mahmoud Al Mabhouh was no friend of progressive Jews. For all the manifestation of different currents within Hamas, there is nothing on the public record to suggest that he was a moderating influence. And yet there is enough in his assassination to disturb even those among us who are not opposed in principle to extra-judicial killings.

Palestinians’ supporters forum keeps audience engaged

Palestinians’ supporters forum keeps audience engaged
Sol Salbe
“Israeli Apartheid” or “Apartheid Israel”? Australians for Palestine seems to have used the two terms interchangeably: The advertisement used one, while glossy leaflets used the other The two terms may be linguistically different, but for the forum organisers, Apartheid is an adjective that goes with Israel, just like “sunny” or “modern”.

Zionism and Jewish Identity

Examining the Israel – Diaspora relationship: What is the role of Australian Jewry?
Harold Zwier 11th March 2010
Presented at the seminar held at Monash University Centre for Jewish Civilisation
In giving my views on the changing nature of our relationship with Israel and the positive role Australian Jewry might play in that changing relationship, I want to start with a few impressionistic sketches.

Sensible Jew

Sensible Jew is a one-person website that was one of the first of the local Jewish Australian web2.0 presences.
Alex Fein’s views are not on the left, but she’s provocative, and like many other people it seems, wants more informed, and particularly respectful discussion, particularly because there was pretty much an organized campaign to mock her questioning of community ‘leadership’.

Galus Australis

A couple of younger Melbourne Jewish writer-thinkers run an interesting website: Galusaustralis. It’s not a political website, its a mix of culture, religion, politics.

They too, are sick and tired of the one-party community.
A lot of the commentary is conservative, some of it comes from people associated with AJDS, some of it is very provocative, but its one of the few opportunties for people to exchange views, and sometimes, they are even funny!

Opportunities Lost: Tony Abbott's Parental Paid Leave Scheme

Tuesday 9 March 2010
2pm
Parliament House Canberra
Joint Press conference
Kevin Rudd – Prime Minister
Tony Abbott – Leader of the Opposition
Thank you everyone for coming here today. What you are about to witness is an historic event. In honour of International Women’s Day 2010 and in light of Mr Abbott’s announcement yesterday this government, with the support of the Opposition is going to introduce a Paid Parental Leave scheme of 6 months duration beginning on 1st July 2010.

The Apartheid Analogy

As I have written elsewhere, the apartheid analogy for Israel is incredibly discomforting for those on the left who while condemnatory of the occupation and the country’s internal faults, still believe that there is a change the country can become a country for all, and not for some.