Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with Australians Tamar Paluch and Deborah Conway, the editor and a contributor to "Ruptured, Jewish Women in Australia Reflect on Life Post-October 7," a book of essays.

Paluch, who edited the book with Lee Kofman, discusses how the idea came from a painful place, after the events of October 7 brought a deluge of antisemitism upon Australia's Jewish community.

She talks about putting together a book written and edited by women, as it was the silence of women's organizations regarding the sexual crimes committed by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 terrorist attack that prompted her and her co-editor to launch the project.

Conway, one of the contributors and a well-known Australian musician and performing artist, speaks about the antisemitism and hatred she experienced in the wake of October 7, as many of her appearances and performances were canceled and sometimes interrupted by virulent pro-Palestinian protestors.

Both women discuss the historical background of Australian Jewry and the sense that the dream of a Jewish paradise has ended, and how they plan on moving forward.

And so this week, we ask Tamar Paluch and Deborah Conway what matters now.

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Palestinian supporters wave flags as they march to the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

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