The Kiwi Experience

This week, Paris and Noah sit down with Yossi Klein Halevi, author of Letters to my Palestinian Neighbour, Like Dreamers, and The Entrance to the Garden of Eden. In this enlightening interview, Yossi recounts his time in the Kahanist movement, his personal experiences as a soldier in Gaza in the First Intifada, and then the breakdown of his relationships with Palestinians in the Second Intifada.Yossi also discusses Israel in the present day. Namely, Yossi explains the impacts of the Second Intifada on the peace process, and the ways in which Israel can use its newfound Arab allies to foster a peaceful Palestinian state. He also goes into depth about the rise of the Israeli right, and his concerns for Israel's future.Yossi also discusses the Palestinian community, from his experiences, including the ways in which the Jewish world can engage in productive dialogue with our Muslim, Arab and Palestinian neighbours.

This episode is deeply moving and hopeful, as Rabbi Mike Moskowitz walks Tanna and Paris through the ins and outs of being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, whilst also being ultra orthodox.Initially, they briefly discuss Rabbi Moskowitz' personal journey to becoming the Scholar in Residence at the Beit Simchat Torah Congregation, before diving into the attitudes held by so many in conservative, orthodox communities. From discussing specific verses often used to justify transphobia, to an analysis of conversion therapy, to predictions about same sex marriage, Rabbi Moskowitz covers a wide range of questions that many onlookers have wondered about over the years.Rabbi Moskowitz also touches on the recent negative media attention that his community has been receiving, and demonstrates that despite several significant imperfections, the ultra orthodox community is full of beauty, charity, and love.

This week, Paris and Noah chat with Rabbi Jackie Ninio from Emanuel Synagogue in NSW. In this episode, they discuss the challenges and tribulations facing the Jewish community when it comes to female empowerment across the religious spectrum. Among other things, Paris, Noah and Rabbi Ninio look to the past and discuss Rabbi Ninio's experiences in the 90s as a new Rabbi in an almost exclusively male profession. Then, they evaluate how far the Jewish community has come in acknowledging the challenges, roles and perspectives of women, before discussing what men and women alike can do better to create a more inclusive community.

In the context of a recent AUJS trip to Israel, Paris, Noah, Jake and Tristan discuss the controversies encountered in the non-Jewish political world. This includes Israeli settlements and settlors, life in Ramallah, BDS and anti-Israel motions presented on campuses, and the recent conflict between Israel and Gaza.This episode is extremely challenging and we hope it will spark conversations in your lives about your views on all of these extremely current, relevant topics. 

Today, Paris and Noah chat with researcher and historian Daisy Abboudi about Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews.Daisy is an expert in the fields of modern and Middle Eastern Jewry, and runs the oral history project, Tales of Jewish Sudan. She is also the Deputy Director of Sephardi Voices UK.In this episode we discuss the varied and sordid histories of the Sephardi and Mizrahi worlds, and scratch the surface of the complex history of Middle Eastern Jews. We learn about the challenges these Jews face as they have been forced to transition into Ashkenazi majority communities, as well as the brutal conditions and discrimination they faced as new immigrant in Israel. We also learn about the close connections many of these Jews still feel towards their Arab and Middle Eastern heritage. Whether you're Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ashkenazi, or anywhere in between, this episode will broaden your horizons as we learn about the half of Jewish history that doesn't get taught enough in schools. If you would like to learn more about Daisy's oral history project, Tales of Jewish Sudan, visit: www.talesofjewishsudan.comTo access Sephardi Voices UK, and any of their resources, visit: www.sephardivoices.org.ukTo get in touch with Sephardi Mizrahi Voices Australia, contact: [email protected] 

Join us this week as Paris and Noah sit down with the influential, Dr David Cumin. David is a free speech advocate and active member of the Jewish community, who leads a double life as a PhD academic at the University of Auckland. In this episode, we discuss David’s vast experiences and challenges leading within the New Zealand Free Speech Union, NZ Jewish Council and the Israel Institute of NZ. He explains the dangerous double standard of individuals, politicians and organisations who claim to support minorities but will not stand up to instances of Anti-Semitism when they arise.Tune in to hear his distinctive opinions about the issues facing diaspora Jewry, from the BDS movement at New Zealand’s uni campuses, to the Swastika symbol ban in NSW and VIC.This episode will widen your perspective and challenge your existing beliefs.

Juliet Moses is a successful lawyer and spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council. In this episode we discuss Israel's legal right to exist, BDS on campus and perceptions of Israel, but most notably, Juliet details a shocking experience of antisemitism which occurred just last year.Tune in for this episode filled with concrete advice, inspirational stories and detailed analyses of popular issues facing Jews today. 

Andrei Schwartz is a founding member of the Jewish Diplomatic Corps, a co-founder of the Organisation of Young Jews in Romania and the Zionist Congress of Romania, and has been instrumental to the rebuilding of the Romanian Jewish Community since 1996. He has been actively involved in the World Zionist Organisation and he’s actually one of our own because he used to be a the Vice President of the European Union of Jewish Students.Andrei talks to us about his childhood in Romania where he grew up unable to practice or acknowledge Judaism due to the impacts of Soviet Communism. He discusses the legacy of the Shoah and Communism on the Jews who remain, and makes pointed remarks about  the leadership of Romania's community today, many of whom are the children of the securitate (Romanian Stasi).We go back to Andrei's roots and discuss issues facing Jewish students on campus, specifically BDS, the nature of which Andrei goes into great detail about. This episode is filled with lessons about Jewish  pride, survival, gratitude and the value of moving on. If you want to learn more about AUJS, you can visit our website: https://www.aujs.com.au/You can also find us on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aujsfbInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aujs_/Twitter: https://twitter.com/AUJSOur offices are on the lands of the Kulin Nation and the Eora Nation. AUJS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Elders both past and present.

Mary Kluk is an incredibly accomplished, inspiring woman. To give a very brief summary of all of her accomplishments, Mary is the Director of the Durban Holocaust Centre, which she founded in 2008. She has served two terms as Chairperson and three as President of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, and is now their National VP. She has served as an executive member and Head of the Security Committee of the World Jewish Congress, and is the President of the Africa and Australia Region of the WJC. In this episode, we discuss Jewish life in South Africa, and many of the common challenges that we have in common. Mary tells us what it was like growing up as a Jewish girl in apartheid South Africa, and how she came to be so accomplished in her communal work.We then discuss the establishment of the Durban Holocaust Centre and the role it serves in the community, as well as the Jewish community in the rest of the African continent. Finally, we discuss the many challenges faced by Jewish students on campuses across the world, including BDS, anti-Israeli sentiments and antisemitism, and Mary lends her expert advice to student leaders tackling these issues.If you want to learn more about AUJS, you can visit our website: https://www.aujs.com.au/You can also find us on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aujsfbInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aujs_/Twitter: https://twitter.com/AUJSOur offices are on the lands of the Kulin Nation and the Eora Nation. AUJS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Elders both past and present.

Ittay Flescher is a familiar face to many in the Melbourne and Australian Jewish community. Nowadays, he works for an amazing NGO called Kids 4 Peace; a multi-faith youth movement based in Jerusalem which seeks to "bridge divides, promote understanding, and seek justice" for all residents of Jerusalem. In this episode, we discuss the division in Jerusalem between and within Arab, Jewish, Muslim and Israeli communities, the diversity within these communities, and the different types of narratives that they espouse. We also discuss diaspora narratives, and the ways in which they differ from Israeli narratives, as well as the challenge that some diaspora Jews face when entering into progressive spaces as Zionists.Ultimately, Ittay reminds us of the power of shared experiences, and that we should not be pro-Israel, but rather "pro-the-people-that-live-there, in all of their complexities". If you want to learn more about AUJS, you can visit our website: https://www.aujs.com.au/You can also find us on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aujsfbInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aujs_/Twitter: https://twitter.com/AUJSTo learn more about Ittay's organisation, Kids 4 Peace, visit https://k4p.org/Our offices are on the lands of the Kulin Nation and the Eora Nation. AUJS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Elders both past and present.