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Yom Yerushalayim – impressions of Jerusalem from the 1830s

Tonight marks the start of Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), commemorating Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967 when it was acquired in a defensive war in 1967 from Jordan. Jerusalem today has a rich culture which reflects its history – as captured by…

Yad Vashem Seminar – ‘Teaching dilemmas through the Holocaust for empathy, not judgement’

Walking down the halls of Jewish history can be a daunting and emotional task, especially when you are brought face to face with those who survived some of the the worst of it. In order to truly understand, you must…

Brownlee-McCully-relationship-with-ISR-AUS_or_Saudi

What sort of relationship does New Zealand want with Israel?

Both Prime Minister Bill English and new Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee have said they want to repair the relationship with Israel in the wake of New Zealand co-sponsoring anti-Israel UNSC Resolution 2334. However, they seem to disagree on what that…

Sunday Star Times publishes vile Sharon Murdoch cartoon

Fairfax media outlet, Stuff, published fake news in January 2017, which led to a stream of anti-Semitic comments on social media. Now, the most recent edition of Fairfax’s Sunday Star Times has chosen to print a vile cartoon suggesting new…

Dominion Post editor launches fanciful anti-Israel polemic

Who recently stated that Israel has “warmongering tendencies” and is engaging in a “deliberate balkanisation programme aimed at sabotaging the twin-state (sic) solution”? You would be forgiven for thinking it’s Hamas, as their charter contains very similar language. But, in…

New Zealand’s new Foreign Minister working to right McCully’s wrong

One of Gerry Brownlee’s first acts after becoming Foreign Minister was to offer an olive branch to Israel in the wake of Resolution 2334. Brownlee wrote to Israeli Prime Minister expressing his “desire for the Israeli-New Zealand relationship to get…

Israeli leader at Air New Zealand impressed with Kiwi tech

Avi Golan has recently taken up the role of Chief Digital Officer at Air New Zealand. He, his wife Osnat, and their three sons moved from Silicon Valley to Auckland for the role in early 2016. Before Air New Zealand,…

Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut – struggle and independence

Tonight marks the start of Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day). It is designated to be the day preceding Yom HaAtzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) as a commemoration of those who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment…

Peters slams McCully over UN Resolution 2334

NZ First leader Winston Peters has gone public with his criticism of Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully’s actions over controversial United Nations Resolution 2334. McCully’s office has confirmed he never had Cabinet approval when New Zealand promoted a United…

ANZACs secured Palestine for the Allies

ANZAC commemorations in New Zealand usually understandably focus on the Gallipoli campaign, while some of the lesser known battles have received less attention. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba. This battle, as part of the Sinai…

Guest Post: Remember. Remember. Remember.

Earlier this year, I was privileged to attend the Auckland UN Holocaust Remembrance Day; on behalf of the Christian Church I offered this prayer: Our loving Heavenly Father … Mere words cannot describe the depths of our sorrow and shame…

United Nations War Crimes Commission Docuemnts on the Holocaust

UN documents shed light on Holocaust for Yom HaShoah and beyond

Tonight marks the start of Yom HaShoah Ve-Hagevurah, which literally translates as ‘Day of the Holocaust and the Heroism’. It falls on the day in the Hebrew calendar (27 Nissan) when the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began. Yom HaShoah serves as…

A Kiwi link to Denial: The Canterbury Tales

The movie Denial has just started screening widely in New Zealand cinemas. Rachel Weisz stars as Deborah Lipstadt, an historian and writer who was sued for libel by renowned Holocaust denier and anti-Semite, David Irving (played by Timothy Spall). What…