Our Jewish community forum event discussing BDS in March 2019 brought together accomplished activists and writers to discuss the topic of BDS in the Jewish community. Jews, Israelis and Palestinians come together to answer some of the difficult questions onBDS, and broaden the conversation on Israel/Palestine. It saw close to 100 attendees and vibrant discussion that moved well […]
by Samah SabawiAustralian singer/song writer Deborah Conway in a recent interview was asked why her support for Zionism increased. ‘I hate bullies and I feel the world is bullying Israel’ she replied adding that the Palestinian-led BDS (Boycotts Divestments and Sanctions) movement to end Israel’s occupation and ongoing human rights violations is ‘horrendous antisemitism.’ For years, I […]
The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS) is deeply disappointed that the organising committee of Limmud Oz 2016 has decided that the invitation extended to Bassam Dally – who was to speak with Sivan Barak (a member of the Executive of the AJDS) in a conversation entitled “Fighting for Coexistence” should be withdrawn. While the organisers […]
In Pesach (Passover) 2013 the AJDS launched the Don’t Buy Settlement Products campaign. It was successful in garnering support and interaction from the general community and created waves within the broader Jewish community. The JCCV (Jewish Community Council of Victoria), ZFA (Zionist Federation of Australia) and ZCV (Zionist Council of Victoria) all expressed their disapproval […]
Reviewed by Sol Salbe There’s an apocryphal story about one-time Israeli politician Moshe Sneh who wrote in the margin on a speech: “weak point; raise your voice”. It is difficult to raise one’s voice in a book, so Associate Professor Philip Mendes and Dr Nick Dyrenfurth have opted for the next best thing: impress us […]
By the Australian BDS Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/boycott.israel48/) The AJDS does not necessary endorse the views represented by this group, though we do foster debate and discussion. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) is marked as a civil nonviolent campaign against Israel and its complicit institutions, and is arguably the largest of its kind. BDS works to uncover […]
The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS) is deeply disappointed at the actions of the 2015 Limmud Oz organising committee in recent efforts to exclude voices from their program. The headline of an article published in the Jewish News on May 11th boldly exclaims: “Limmud-Oz promises ‘something for everyone.’” They quote one of this year’s volunteer […]
Following the decision by the Presbyterian Church (USA) to divest from three U.S. companies whose products, they argue, are used to support Israeli occupation, Americans for Peace Now today issued the following statement: “Last Friday’s decision of the Presbyterian Church of the United States to divest from three major U.S. companies should serve as a […]
In response to the attacks on Oxfam from leading Australian Jewish organisations for parting ways with Scarlett Johannson over her conflict of interest (promoting Sodastream while being an Oxfam Ambassador) , two letters were published in the Australian Jewish News (14 Feb 2014). One is from Andrew Casey who has a long association with the […]
Open discussion is an important aspect of any community. When the AJDS launched its ‘Don’t Buy from the Settlements’ Campaign at Pesach this year, we did so with the aim of being part of an ongoing, world-wide discussion about Israel/Palestine.