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TVNZ honours Nazi soldier, minimises Holocaust

A recent Sunday programme on TVNZ reported on a “remarkable survivor” of World War II who arrived in New Zealand in the 1950s. This was not a Jewish refugee who survived the war and the horrors of death camps. Nor…

Preparing for the election as people of faith: A Jewish perspective

The following speech was delivered at an interfaith meeting organised by the Religious Diversity Trust by Deb Levy. It is said that if you ask two Jews for their thoughts, you’ll get three opinions. We are a people of debate…

FIANZ statement reveals double standards

President of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), Hazim Arafeh, issued a press release in which he said the representative body of New Zealand Muslims “strongly condemns the indiscriminate and disproportionate Israeli aggressions…” and “is deeply concerned…

From Amsterdam to Auckland – a story of modern Jewish migration

Imagine you have a thriving business, a beautiful home in a photogenic European capital, your kids are in a great school, your partner has a stable and well-paid job. Your favourite restaurants and shops are around the corner. Your friends…

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…

An Illusion of Paradise

Dr Norman Simms has taught in New Zealand, Canada, France, and Israel for over forty years as a specialist in literature and in Jewish thought and identity. His latest work, “Jews in an Illusion of Paradise: Dust and Ashes Volume…

Journalist’s lived experience and fact-finding shifts his perceptions

In the summer of 2015, just three days after I moved to Israel for a one-and-a-half year stint freelance reporting in the region, I wrote down my feelings about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A friend of mine in New York had…

Reflections on Israel part 3: A remarkable story

In July I went on a life-changing trip to Israel. This was my fourth trip to Israel, but I have not been there for 17 years. I have written in the past about other aspects and experiences of this trip….

Islamist Threat NZ Europe Warning Pirsoul

Nicolas Pirsoul: Warning for New Zealand in rise of extreme form of Islam

Shalom.Kiwi previously reported on the repeated anti-Semitic and misogynistic content of sermons given by Sheikh Dr Mohammad Anwar Sahib. While Sahib was stood down from his prominent role within the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), the New…

Burkini or Bikini: The freedom to choose

For Kiwis, the idea of having swimwear monitored at the beach is quite odd, to say the least. But then, the French are not known for moderate responses. This CNN report shows that for Israel’s mixed population of Muslims and…

A personal perspective on anti-Semitism in New Zealand

This will be a personal account; I can’t speak for other Jews, I’m sure everyone will have their own opinions on this subject. First of all I’d like to say that I consider myself lucky. My experience as a Jew…

Will McCully utter the ‘T’ word?

In a recent video, we showed how the NZ Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully refused to label the recent spate of attacks against Israelis by Palestinians as terrorism, despite being given the opportunity to do so three times. He…

Do Jewish lives matter to Murray McCully?

While Prime Minister Key “stands with Belgium in the fight against terrorism”, and Foreign Minister McCully “stand[s] with the people and Government of Turkey in their fight against terrorism”, neither can bring themselves to stand with Israel against their fight…