Shalom.Kiwi

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Hanukkah in the Bays 2018

In a break with tradition, Hanukkah in Auckland was held this year at Okahu Bay, courtesy of local iwi Ngati Whatua. A large crowd gathered to enjoy a joyful celebration of music, dance, food and friendship. Ngati Whatua opened the…

The outsiders

The world moves in mysterious ways. A few days after Robert Bowers ranted online about the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society (HIAS) and went on a shooting spree at a Pittsburgh synagogue, my mother discovered passenger records online relating to her…

When hate speech gets a free pass

Earlier this year, prominent New Zealanders went to some lengths to demonstrate their opposition to hate speech. Two controversial Canadian speakers were coming into town and were possibly going to say things that, in the words of Auckland’s mayor Phil…

Ugly Politics behind Upper Hutt Posse

Like much of New Zealand, you may not have heard of Upper Hutt Posse until Friday, or if you had, it may have been a long time ago. On Thursday night, the band, described on its Wikipedia page as the…

World leaders condemn Pittsburgh attack; NZ government silent

Political leaders from the following countries have spoken out in condemnation or sympathy over the recent attack on Jewish congregants in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, in which 11 people were killed: Australia Canada United Kingdom Italy Germany France Israel The…

Global growth in antisemitism – is NZ immune?

Like many people in New Zealand, I felt sickened by the weekend’s massacre of 11 Jews in a Pittsburgh synagogue. Any mass shooting of people going about ordinary life is gut-wrenching. But a deadly attack on my people, while they are…

How Shurat HaDin and an Israeli court got it wrong this time

Two weeks ago New Zealanders woke to a story from Israel that caused a stir in local media. An Israeli court had imposed a fine of NZ $19000 on two young New Zealand activists for an open letter they wrote…

Corbyn Supporter’s Appointment as NZ’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner Raises Questions

NZ Justice Minister, Andrew Little, has named a replacement to David Rutherford to lead New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission. The candidate chosen is Professor Paul Hunt, an academic at the University of Essex who is described on his Wikipedia entry…

Tonga’s love for the Jews of the Bible

By Donald H. Harrison Courtesy of San Diego Jewish World NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – A brief walk around the capital city of this Pacific Island kingdom alerted me to the fact that this Christian nation has a special reverence for the…

A Tonge-lashing from an antisemite

This article, written by Juliet Moses, was originally published by Times of Israel. On Sunday morning, I enjoyed a sleep-in. The one day of the week there’s no school, work, sports, or synagogue to rush off to. Once I had…

The hypocrisy of Goff

Last month, in a move that attracted much attention and debate, the Mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff, declared that he would not allow Council venues to be used by two controversial Canadian speakers. The speakers, Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux,…

Baroness Tonge implies discussing persecution of Jews is antisemitic

In a Facebook post yesterday, Baroness Jenny Tonge stated “…We would all like a safe haven to run to when the going gets tough, but we stay on and ask why it is getting tough. Why have the Jewish people…

TVNZ admits inaccuracy in reporting on Gaza riots

New Zealand’s state-owned television network, TVNZ, reported on the Gaza riots in no fewer than three bulletins during their One News show in June. Following a complaint, TVNZ has admitted that they were inaccurate when reporting the number of casualties…