Three days after the horrifying events that shocked the Jewish nation and threw Israel into war, Ittay Flescher sat down and began writing what would become his first book: The Holy and the Broken: A cry for Israeli-Palestinian peace from a land that must be shared. Ittay Flescher moved to Israel from Australia in 2018, where he became the education director of the interfaith youth movement Kids4Peace Jerusalem. (0:39-22:29)

Joining the conversation next to discuss how much of the left-wing media operates in Australia will be Solomon Green, an emboldened Jew, someone who refuses to be a bystander since October 7, a grassroots activist with J-United on social media.

Solomon has been around Australian local politics and active for 40 years. He has a non-verbal adult child with special needs. Besides caring for his family, he had a heart attack last year, but won’t let these hurdles stop him. He has been heard across talkback in Melbourne taking up the cudgels tackling antisemitism and hate head on. Not afraid to call it as it is, he joins me to talk about a very contentious segment that was broadcast on ABC radio today. 

The Australian Muslim community has reacted to claims that the two nurses who made anti-Israel threats at Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital  were victims of “weaponised anti-Semitism” and “manufactured political outrage”. (22:36-57:34)

Dr Anthony Bergin is a senior fellow at the Canberra think tank Strategic Analysis Australia.  Dr Bergin was engaged for over 20 years as an academic in professional military education at the Royal Australian Naval College then the Australian Defence Force Academy. He is a regular opinion contributor to The Australian and just published yesterday an article there titled "Muslim community statement on nurses excuses the intolerable".

He is the author of a major report called The Wattle and the Olive: A new chapter in Australia and Israel working together published by Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He has been involved with strategic dialogues with Israel over the last decade. (37:04-57:34)

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Ophir Yarden is the program director of Adasha: the Jerusalem Center for Interreligious Encounter, which is a program/department of the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue.

Ophir has been participating in an international conference of Jews and Christians taking place in Melbourne titled ‘Heads, Hearts and Hands’ - What can dialogue do for us?

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Michael Gawenda is a writer, editor, journalist and poet. He deplores the fact that an increasing number of journalists want to be social-justice warriors, anti-racism warriors or anti-colonialist warriors. Since Oct 7th Michael, a former editor of The Age, has channelled his energies into affirming his Jewish identity and arguing against the delegitimisation of Israel. (0:33 - 29:42)

Michele Chabin is a journalist based in Jerusalem, who writes for the National Catholic Register. We discuss some of the stories she has covered and consider some of the questionable behaviour of Pope Francis concerning the Jews and Israel. (29:49 - 55:57)

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Ophir Yarden is the program director of Adasha: the Jerusalem Center for Interreligious Encounter, which is a program/department of the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue.

Ophir has been participating in an international conference of Jews and Christians taking place in Melbourne titled ‘Heads, Hearts and Hands’ - What can dialogue do for us? (0:33-34:07)

Amitay Cohen, 22 years old, was born in Jerusalem to a large family of 10 children. He has been injured twice in combat associated with Gaza and is now being supported by Beit Halochem (ZDVO).  Amitay and another doubly injured IDF soldier will be speaking to an audience next week on Tuesday Feb 11th at the ZDVO Rehabil-A-Nation event in Melbourne and the following week on Wednesday Feb 19th in Sydney. (34:14-53:01)

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David May is the research manager and a senior research analyst at the influential Foundation for Defense of Democracies specializing in economic warfare. Prior to joining FDD, David was a senior research analyst at AIPAC where he focused on Israeli-Palestinian issues and the United Nations. 

We speak about a monograph he has written titled 'War by Other Means: A History of Anti-Israel Boycotts, From the Arab League to BDS' and examine the likely impact of Israel's ban on UNRWA that is looming.

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Danel Elpeleg is the director of the film 'The Governor' which screened here at last year's Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF). In her deeply personal documentary, which won best documentary at the Jerusalem Film Festival last year, Danel investigates her grandfather’s conflicted legacy.

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David May is the research manager and a senior research analyst at the influential Foundation for Defense of Democracies specializing in economic warfare. Prior to joining FDD, David was a senior research analyst at AIPAC where he focused on Israeli-Palestinian issues and the United Nations. 

We speak about a monograph he has written titled 'War by Other Means: A History of Anti-Israel Boycotts, From the Arab League to BDS' and examine the likely impact of Israel's ban on UNRWA that is looming. (0:33-29:33)

Danel Elpeleg is the director of the film 'The Governor' which screened here at last year's Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF). In her deeply personal documentary, which won best documentary at the Jerusalem Film Festival last year, Danel investigates her grandfather’s conflicted legacy. (29:39-57:35)

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Ehud Yaari  is an Israel-based Lafer international fellow of The Washington Institute. A Middle East commentator for Israel's Channel Twelve television and former associate editor of Jerusalem Report, Ehud Yaari has been a Middle East commentator for Israeli television since 1975. Among his numerous awards for journalism are the Israeli Press Editors-in-Chief prize for coverage of the peace process with Egypt, the Sokolov Prize for coverage of the Lebanon War, and the Israel Broadcasting Award for coverage of the Gulf War.

I speak with Ehud Yaari about the ceasefire deal Israel has made with Hamas and what forbodes for the Middle East and the rest of the world following the return of Donald Trump to the White House.

[Full interview]

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Ehud Yaari  is an Israel-based Lafer international fellow of The Washington Institute. A Middle East commentator for Israel's Channel Twelve television and former associate editor of Jerusalem Report, Ehud Yaari has been a Middle East commentator for Israeli television since 1975. Among his numerous awards for journalism are the Israeli Press Editors-in-Chief prize for coverage of the peace process with Egypt, the Sokolov Prize for coverage of the Lebanon War, and the Israel Broadcasting Award for coverage of the Gulf War.

I speak with Ehud Yaari about the ceasefire deal Israel has made with Hamas and what forbodes for the Middle East and the rest of the world following the return of Donald Trump to the White House. (0:39-30:19)

The anti-Israel protests in the centre of Melbourne continue unabated despite the ceasefire agreement. I speak with Yaacov Travitz who leads the group Lions of Zion, who recently were forced to leave Melbourne's CBD 'for their safety' after a peaceful attempt to reclaim the city from the ongoing anti-Israel protests . (39:41-57:23)

You will also hear from my brother Mark Schulberg, who bravely donned an Israeli flag as a cape having approached the back of the crowd during the speeches at last week's protest at the State Library. After declining to leave the public space, he was encircled by protesters with the police paying close attention. (30:19-39:41)

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Pro-Palestinian activist Samah Sabawi speaking ar last week's anti-Israel protest outside the State Library building in Melbourne.

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