This is not about suppressing criticism. It is about recognizing when criticism morphs into narrative warfare, when political disagreement becomes blood libel.
Source: Rabbi Steven Abraham, “Why I Signed Yossi Klein Halevi’s Letter to ‘Stop the Libel of Genocide.'”
I don’t much care that Laura Tingle and others gave this advertisement—that I assume cost many thousands of dollars—more significance than it deserved. I don’t much care because that is journalism in a way, find the dissenting voices on what Jews feel and think ― especially if you agree with the dissenting voices—and amplify those voices over the predictable and unnewsworthy voices of the vast majority of Australian Jews.
I understand all this of course and I believe that in the past, a long time ago, I have done this myself, amplify the voices of dissent among Jews. In 1982, during the Lebanon War, I wrote an article for The Age that argued not all Jews supported the war and I think I quoted some Jews whose names I saw in the advertisement in The Age yesterday.
In my defence, I did not pretend that these Jews were anything other than a minority, but the article was given a prominent presence in the paper, more prominent, looking back, than it deserved. That’s journalism. Not great, but journalism.
But the thing is, that as I watched Herzog at Bondi later that afternoon, embrace the families of people killed and wounded on December 14, and as I watched them embrace him back, heard them say how comforting it was to have him there consoling them, I could not help but wonder at the callousness of that advertisement signed by Jews, at the callousness of my fellow Jews. At the fact that nothing can soften their hardened hearts, nothing can make them pause for a moment in their campaign to demonise Israel and powerful Jews, not even for a moment, so that the consolation of the survivors by Herzog can be uncontested, unsullied by hatred.
From Michael Gawenda’s “My Fellow Jews” (Gawenda Unleashed)
This week has brought us the latest “92ny State of World Jewry” address, delivered by Bret Stephens; a follow-up conversation between Stephens and Rabbi David Ingber (included within the video above); and additional follow-up reporting (by Andrew Silow-Carroll for JTA).
Much to think about here.
“I wrote an article about what happened at [Adelaide] Writers Week for the Weekend Australian. It is about a person who has done more than any other in my view, to make kosher the argument that powerful Jews are a malign influence on Australian life. Here it is:”
The words above come from Michael Gawenda.
And if perchance you would appreciate background/still more information/additional takes about what has happened lately with this major literary festival, the following have been added to my “After October 7” document:
(more…)I’ve been catching up with some podcasts this week—including a bonus episode of Ronit Plank’s Let’s Talk Memoir that was organized largely around Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage. The episode features three contributors to the Manna Songs anthology (Plank among them) as well as the book’s editor, Diane Gottlieb.
This was perfect end-of-year listening for me for a few reasons—including the fact that being asked to write the foreword to this book was one of the signal honors of my own 2025. But I also appreciated the reminders within about Jewish joy, as well as the affirmation of the power of community during trying times (including trying times within the literary sphere).
So I thought I’d share it with all of you, too.