The late Andrés Escobar, reacting after his sadly infamous own goal in 1994

By Anthony Frosh

In attempting to ban DVD sales of The Promise, a polemical mini-series recently screened on SBS, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) have done a proverbial Andrés Escobar.

Attempts, or even perceived attempts, at censorship only ever result in cultivating more interest in the object of the censorship. If you want to get your high school students to read their physics textbooks, you can’t do much better than banning them.

I only saw the first episode of the series. As a piece of drama, I found it too unsophisticated to keep my interest. One of the first things I noticed, besides the lame acting and dialogue, was that Israeli youths were driving far more expensive cars than those driven by even some of their most spoilt Toorak or Vaucluse contemporaries, a sure sign that the film makers had little interest in being true-to-life. Perhaps they were trying to perpetuate a stereotype (that has nothing to with Israel) about Jews that one might sometimes encounter in Western universities concerning Jewish kids being rich and spoilt.

The first episode, although lacking in accuracy and realism, seemed more balanced than I had expected. Later, I heard that the hostile portrayal of Jews, Zionism, and Israel, really takes off as the series progresses. When I heard this, I wondered whether this was an example of the hostile media phenomenon, whereby emotionally invested parties perceive relatively neutral or balanced media content as strongly hostile to their own side.

However, if this were merely a case of the hostile media phenomenon, then the scientific literature predicts that Palestinian advocates would have also had similar reactions; that is, they would have perceived the series as being highly hostile to their side. A little bit of research reveals this is not the case. Australians For Palestine (which would be more accurately named Australians against Israel) called for supportive submissions to SBS and the relevant politicians within the communications portfolio concerning the series. I also witnessed a number of anti-Semites on Facebook championing the series.

All this leads me to believe that ECAJ is accurate in its perception of the series as anti-Semitic. As for their comparisons to Nazi propaganda, well I have not seen the series other than the first episode, but I think everyone should be extra-cautious when it comes to Nazi comparisons, as these risk trivialising the horrors that Nazis represented.

None of this changes the fact that censorship is not only wrong in principle, but is highly counterproductive. ECAJ’s efforts will sadly see a lame piece of propaganda disguised as art get far more attention than it deserves. It will also result in the Australian Jewish community once again being labelled as advocates of censorship and media control.

One of the most popular sessions was Evan Kleinman's screening of his film, Punk Jews

By Anthony Frosh
After the most recent Limmud Oz that took place at Monash University Caulfield campus in Melbourne (2010), there was considerable discussion about the absence of young people. Indeed, an article in this publication, The Missing Generation of Limmud Oz, documented that few people in their thirties or younger attended.

However, the most recent Limmud event to occur in Australia, Limmud Oz Fest, held the weekend before last at a campsite near Daylesford, Victoria, demonstrated that there is plenty of demand from the “missing generation.” That is, as long as the event is marketed and organised in a fashion that appeals to this demographic.

A little over a month before Limmud Oz Fest, the organisers of the event held a preliminary event called Taste of Fest. It was held at the popular Pause bar on Carlisle St, and provided an opportunity for people who were considering attending the Fest weekend to meet fellow travellers and find out about some of the sessions that would take place.  The evening featured a number of highly talented Jewish musicians who performed against a backdrop of a projected slideshow providing information on several sessions and presenters who would be appearing at Fest. An entertaining panel session where Alana Bruce, the evening’s MC, interviewed a few presenters about their upcoming sessions.divided up the musical acts.  This preliminary event proved to be a terrific evening, attracting plenty of young people and providing promotional momentum for the Fest .

The Limmud Oz Fest weekend itself proved to be just as well organised, albeit with a higher degree of difficulty. And while young people were abound, there were also many people from older generations as well as several young families.  It was an incredible effort from the organisers who not only assembled a brilliant array of sessions, including outstanding local talent as well as some top-notch overseas presenters (including Jeffrey Yoskowitz ,Evan Kleinman, David Brown, and Shani Tzoref), but also managed to be constantly feeding attendees with Kosher meals. All of this took place at a perfectly serene campsite.

The professionalism of the organisers did not stop at the conclusion of weekend. I had barely been back in Melbourne a day when I opened by inbox to find an invitation to an electronic survey (and a very well designed survey at that – and I should know – it’s how I make my living) in regard to my Limmud Oz Fest experience, and any thoughts I had on how it could have been improved.  It seems the organisers are determined to do even better come the next Fest.

The success of the event has reverberated around the world, with event receiving praise from Limmud international  (who had provided guidance and moral support) and ROI. 

So the question remains: How does Limmud Oz attract young people to the non-Fest variety of event? Or perhaps the question is: If young people attend Fest, is there a need to try to get them to also attend the regular Limmud Oz? I think the answer to the latter question is probably yes.  It’s clearly better for the Limmud brand if they can grow both types of events, and it’s difficult to foresee any growth if it doesn’t involve attracting young people.  With regard to the former question, a good start would be if the established Limmud committee (who I understand provided significant funding for Fest) capitalised on synergies with the highly capable young people who did such a great job of promoting and organising Fest.  In the meantime, hats off to the organisers, Malki Rose, Alana Bruce, Cygal Pellach, Alex Kats, Keren Tuch, Nikki Peipert, Seraphya Berrin, and all the rest of the dedicated volunteers.

Lou Gehrig, who had a disease so apparently rare that they had to name it after him

By Anthony Frosh
I recently attended a panel session that was part of the Melbourne Jewish Book Festival. The session was on the topic of “What is a Jewish book?” After listening to the panel and participating in the audience discussion, I decided that a Jewish book is any book disproportionately read by Jews, irrespective of the author or content.

For example in the early 20th century, psychology and psychiatry were considered Jewish sciences. Not only were most of the major texts written by Jews, they were largely studied and read by Jews. This is particularly true for the Psychodynamic theorists and arguably even more so for the Gestalt theorists. A physics professor I know tells me the same thing also applied to his discipline.

The corollary is also valid. There’s a world’s bestseller written by Jews and whose content is all about Jews, and yet I wouldn’t call it a Jewish book. Can you guess the book I’m referring too? That’s right, The New Testament.

So on that note, I decided to review some upcoming or recently released books that certainly ought to be classified as Jewish books.

A Patient’s Guide to the Best Doctors in Melbourne (Sydney, Perth, and Gold Coast editions also available). This book is an indispensable resource that lists and ranks all the best doctors in your capital city. The book is arranged by medical speciality, and it not only ranks the doctors, but has estimated waiting times to see those doctors, both with and without a connection. For every single practitioner, it also provides a list of individuals who, if you happen to have their contact details, could hook you up in order to bypass the standard waiting lists.

Self Diagnosis of Rare Diseases and Illnesses. Sometimes, even when you have good connections, you don’t have time to wait to see a doctor. That’s where this book comes in. It doesn’t matter if you have the Epstein Barr Virus or Lou Gehrig’s disease, this self-help guide will put your mind a rest. As recommended by Leonard “Lenny” Goldberg of The Reluctant Infidel fame.

How to Write a Complaint Letter to Your Child’s Day School. For anyone with a child enrolled at any of the major Jewish Day Schools, this could be a handy edition to the book shelf. It contains over 100 model examples of complaint letters. There’s quite literally a sample complaint letter for every occasion. Not enough tefilah? Too much tefilah? Not enough sport? Too much sport? Your kindergarten child missed out on an extra piece of apple at morning tea? You’re disappointed your six year old child cannot yet fluently read and comprehend a complex text in Aramaic? You name it, whatever your dilemma, this book’s got you covered.

Medicine, Law, or Something Else not as Good? How to Guide Your Child to Choosing the Right Career Path. No matter what your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses are, this book will prove invaluable in helping you decide for your child the most suitable career for the rest of their life. This book includes a comprehensive personality survey and aptitude test to be completed by the parent and the child respectively, as well as an easy to follow guide for interpreting the results. Most importantly, the book has a very open-minded approach and does not position either medicine or law as superior to one another.

And while you’re thinking about what books to buy, here’s a word on behalf of our sponsor.

A scene from the film

By Rachel Sacks-Davis & Anthony Frosh

The Jewish tradition was born in journey. From Abraham and Jacob to Moses and the Israelites, our mythic ancestors were wanderers whose encounters with God almost always occurred en route. Since the destruction of the Temple, however, although the Jewish people have moved across the globe, journey has not been part of religious practice.

Not so for Muslims, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca remains one of the core religious obligations. Recently, a special screening was held of Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta at the IMAX in Carlton. Several members from the Jewish community, particularly from the JCCV, were in attendance at the invitation of the President of the Islamic Council Victoria (ICV), Hyder Gulam.

As the subtitle suggests, the film focuses on the Hajj undertaken by Ibn Battuta, the famous 14^th century Moroccan Berber traveller.  At a little over 20 years old, he leaves behind his comfortable life as a law student in Tangier, setting out on a Hajj that sees him travelling close to 5000km to Mecca by foot and on camel-back in a journey lasting 18 months.

Whilst Ibn Battuta’s 14^th century Hajj was much closer in time to us than our biblical forefathers, his experience of travel was surely much closer to theirs. The isolation, danger and vulnerability that marked his journey surely also marked theirs. And the spiritual gifts that so explicitly mark the journeys of our forefathers are also implicit in Ibn Battuta’s Journey to Mecca.

As is typical of IMAX films, the cinematography is breathtaking and the IMAX theatre set-up makes you feel as though you are present on the journey with Ibn Battuta. This is a unique opportunity for non-Muslims who are not usually permitted to enter Islam’s most holy city, and may also find it rather challenging to trek through the deserts of North Africa and Arabia.

Finally, Jewish film buffs will find a familiar voice. The film is narrated by Ben Kingsley, famous for his Oscar winning portrayal of Gandhi, but also having played several key Jewish characters including but not limited too Itzhak Stern (Schindler’s List), Moses, Otto Frank (Diary of Ann Frank) and even a senior Mossad commander (The Assignment).

Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta is currently playing at the IMAX theatre in Melbourne.

Scene from an Occupy Wall Street march

By Anthony Frosh
At a kiddush on first day Sukkot, I found myself in conversation with a fellow shul-goer about the Occupy Wall Street movement. His daughter, who lives in New York, had attended Yom Kippur services at Occupy Wall Street. As a joke, I mentioned that we should start an Occupy Martin Place movement. He continued the joke, saying Sydney was too much of a schlep, and couldn’t we just occupy Collins St in Melbourne.

Needless to say, I had to laugh when a few days later I was listening to ABC radio news and discovered that an Occupy Sydney protest had now commenced in Martin Place.  The news broadcast mentioned that the protest was part of a now worldwide movement that started with Occupy Wall Street. I thought to myself, “Didn’t this movement actually start with the ‘occupation’ of Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv?” I also thought to myself that suddenly the verb ‘to occupy’ has positive connotations again, but that is beside the point.

How typical of both our local and global broadcasters, many of whom frequently blame Israel where blame is often not due, and also do not give Israel credit where credit is due.

And while the media has failed to make the connection between the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Tent City of Rothschild Boulevard, so have the protestors in New York and elsewhere been reluctant to mention the obvious connection. Rather, many of the leftist protestors prefer to invoke comparisons with Tahrir Square and the Arab Spring.  But how valid are these comparisons?

On one hand, I would argue that the primary antecedents of the Arab Spring were economic. If you have a large mass of young people receiving graduate qualifications but only able to obtain menial employment, you’re going to have enormous levels of societal dissatisfaction. However, despite the economic roots, the lack of democracy in the Arab world meant that their protests manifested as a demands for regime change, rather than direct demands for economic reform.

On the other hand, the Israeli protests have primarily been about economic issues, starting with housing affordability and with a major focus on the widening gap between rich and poor. I do not disregard that there are also some more holistic aspects at play, as argued by Yoram Symons, but these are inextricably linked with perceived social inequality.

Not that long ago, I spoke at an event in Melbourne, and mentioned that our local Jewish community would be wrong to ignore the economic challenges our community faces. I stated that in recent years, housing close to the Jewish hub of Melbourne (and it’s equally applicable to Sydney) has become far less affordable for young people, and that there was nothing anybody could do about this economic reality. However, I argued that we could offset the costs of housing somewhat by reducing the costs of education. We could do this by creating an alternative to the private Jewish day school system.

I have since heard it said that such economic concerns are not relevant to the health of our community. However, it doesn’t take much imagination to realise that if the Jewish community were to be significantly more dispersed, then this would have a major impact on the quality of our community and present further infrastructure challenges. This is true for everyone active in the community, but particularly so for those who whose Shabbat and yomtov transportation is limited to a comfortable pair of walking shoes. The ability to afford housing in a particular area allows them not only to attend their preferred shul, but also to actually enjoy Shabbat and other holidays with their family and friends. This is, of course, but one obvious example.

Despite the slightly provocative title of this article, I’m not actually suggesting that anyone set up a tent city in Caulfield Park or Double Bay Park, although it would make the location for Limmud Oz Fest more convenient, if less exotic. Rather, the take home message here is that while most people, in assessing and planning for the future of the community, tend to focus on the nature and quality of religious, cultural, linguistic, political, or social justice activities, it important not to overlook basic economic factors. It is economic factors that have brought about the Arab Spring, the Tent City of Rothschild Blvd, the “occupation” of Wall St, and it will be economic factors that play an important part in shaping the future of our local Jewish communities and their creative potential.

A sign marking an old Italian neighbourhood in Toronto

By Anthony Frosh

Box Hill in Victoria has lots of Chinese, Lakemba in NSW has lots of Lebanese, Peppermint Grove in WA has lots of WASPs, and of course, there are a number of areas in Australia that have lots of Jews.

People choose to live near other people from their own ethic group or subculture for a variety of reasons. People’s friends tend to be disproportionately from their own subculture and people in general like to live near their friends. They also want to be near their community infrastructure.  In the case of Shabbat observant Jews, they often have a strong preference to live not only within the eruv, but within easy walking distance of their shul as well as close family/friends whom they regularly eat with over Shabbat.

So, shouldn’t real estate companies and the like be catering to these demographic realities? For example, I am often perplexed by advertisements for residential property auctions that are scheduled on Shabbat in areas not only with a large Jewish  population, but also with a considerable frum population. Often this happens when the seller and the real estate agent are unaware of the Shabbat dynamic.  However, it still sometimes happens with real estate agencies that ought to know better.

Gary Peer is a real estate agency that seems to function almost entirely in the suburbs of Melbourne that are heavily populated by Jews.  And quite incredibly, in the Caulfield area, they seem (from casual observations) to have close to a 65% market share.  While it can be assumed that Gary Peer are aware of the Shabbat dynamic, since they have so many ‘Jewish area’ properties for auction on any given weekend, they probably can’t schedule them all on a Sunday. I like to imagine that they have rather entertaining weekly  meetings where they determine the likelihood of frum Jews being potential buyers for new listings they’ve won, and then make their Saturday vs. Sunday decision on that basis. I’m not sure if this is the reality though.

Sydney based Oschrie Massatschi, founder of the Jewish Living website, bases his enterprise on the idea that Jews have particular real estate needs that are not easily met by general real estate websites. According to Massatschi, “When moving to an unfamiliar country it is difficult for people from the Jewish community (as a minority) to find the right suburb to live amongst like minded people and have the possibility to maintain their Jewish lifestyle and traditions. Jewish Living is the only website in the world to display all relevant Jewish infrastructure and eruvim on maps with contact details of these points of interest. Jewish Living even combines these points of interest with all available properties marked on the maps.”

But Jewish Living doesn’t just cater to home buyers. Jewish Living also functions to help people find flatmates.  Massatschi states that “The desire/need to live with someone Jewish prevents many young Jews to move out of their parents’ home as it is vital for them to live with flatmates that adhere to the same traditions/religion and value the same beliefs, e.g. Shomer Shabbat, keeping kosher, etc”. For example, the Jewish Living website will help someone find share accommodation that has a kosher kitchen.

Massatschi says he has received a lot positive feedback from people who used the website from everything to sell their property to find the perfect flatmate. The site started with a focus on the Sydney market, and has now expanded to Melbourne.  Massatschi says he has even received requests from people hoping the site will expand to other countries such as South Africa.

The most interesting, and apparently controversial, census image that we could find

By Anthony Frosh

‘There’s this unspoken thing among Jews,” comedian John Safran was quoted in a recent interview published in The Age,  ”that no matter whether you’re kosher or not, you always ask for kosher meals on aircraft to help keep the demand up.”

Now, while I’ve never heard of this, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the rumour exists and if there are Australian Jews who do just that.

And while I generally order the Asian Vegetarian meal, I must confess that last Shabbos I was telling my machatonim to make sure they include Hebrew and Yiddish when they answer the census question on language spoken at home.

“But we don’t speak Yiddish at home,” my sister-in-law pointed out.

“What’s that got to do with it?” I retorted. “Do you want to be personally responsible for the cancellation of the SBS Yiddish language hour?”  I proceeded to impress on my sister-in-law and mother-in-law, who do frequently speak Hebrew to each other, that they should answer every question on the census with an eye to how the resultant data might be used.

“But we can’t lie!” they exclaimed.

“I’m not suggesting you lie. We do use Yiddish words and the bureau of statistics don’t provide a minimum quantity, so technically, you wouldn’t be lying.”

The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) believe that the Jewish community misses out on vital services and funds as the Jewish population in Victoria is not adequately represented in the census due to the voluntary nature of questions relating to religion and ethnicity, and low participation rates in the census.

John Searle, president of the JCCV stated,

“If you are Jewish, then be counted as a member of the Jewish Community by answering Question 19 on religious affiliation as – ‘Jewish’ or ‘Judaism’. Accurate representation ensures that effective planning and funding is allocated to the Jewish community by Federal, State and Local Governments. It also enables community services and organisations to adequately resource schools, healthcare, aged care, childcare and other essential services”.

And while on the topic of the underreporting of Jews, it is known that a number of Jews, particularly Holocaust survivors, and even some of the next generation, do not declare their Jewishness on the census, given the history of how census data was used by the Nazis to round up Jews.

I’d be interested to hear how you and your family approach the census.

Census night is this Tuesday August 9th .

According to the email I received from the organisers, each soapboxer would have to get on their “soapbox for 3-4 minutes, to comment on our community, to suggest what we are getting right or wrong, and to perhaps offer up suggestions as to what needs to be changed.” After making an argument, the idea is that each soapboxer will conclude with a question to the Q&A panel.

Now, if there’s one thing that totally contradicts my self-image, it’s standing on a soapbox. I had strong thoughts about withdrawing. The problem was that if there’s one other things that totally contradicts my self-image, it’s being a “piker”. Oh dear, what a dilemma.

I thought about this soapbox business, but the reality is, I’ve got nothing! (“Nothing Jerry, nothing!”) Well, close to nothing. I can bore everyone with an explanation of the trade-off between rising house prices and rising school fees. Since we can’t do anything about rising house prices, we need to jettison the day-school system in favour of a much more muscular version of UJEB; one where the parents fund and run the system. As I said, boring.

That’s why I thought I’d call on the Galus community. I need you to write my soapbox shtick for me, or at least come up with some good ideas or questions to throw at the panel. And what’s more, I promise to give you full credit.

I need to let the organisers know what my question(s) to the panel is by Thursday, end of day.

For event details, click here.

Sometimes the right logo is everything

By Anthony Frosh

The Gen08 survey of the Australian Jewish community revealed some worrying trends.  Generation X & Y are more likely than their parents to be disengaged from the Jewish community. Furthermore, the transition of leadership roles within the community from the Baby Boomer generation to the next generation is perceived as occurring at a pace not dissimilar to that of a crowd of people departing shul on a day with a particularly festive and delicious kiddush.

Those closest to the Gen08 survey research feel that while we currently have a great community, our 18-34 year olds are less engaged and less active within the Jewish community than ever before. This, together with future demographic and economic challenges (e.g. aging community, less affordable housing and education), poses a real threat to maintaining the quality of community that is currently enjoyed.

This is where the Groundswell initiative comes in.   According to David Werdiger, a fellow Groundswell committee member, “The Groundswell 2011 initiative intends to turn things upside down. There is so much untapped talent in our community, and that talent holds the key to discovering new ways to engage and foster better continuity. It doesn’t seem to be happening top-down with the institutions we already have, so maybe it’s time to make it happen from the ground up.”

The Groundswell committee is currently made up of a mix of community members, from a wide range of ages, religious, and political persuasions. However, the committee is only established to facilitate the genesis of Groundswell. The future is there for the taking.

Groundswell is now looking for a logo, and as part of the ground-up style, we’re looking for every opportunity to engage young people from within the community in the development process, and not just the outcomes.

Hence Groundswell is holding a competition to design its logo. We’re looking for creative young people to put forward their best entry.  The winner will receive a pair of Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ Studio™ High Definition Powered Isolation Headphones, with a RRP of $499.  Even more importantly, the winner will receive the recognition and satisfaction of having their design featured as the logo of great new initiative for the Melbourne Jewish Community.

To enter, or to find out more, email Frosh AT GalusAustralis dot com

Entries must be received no later than Monday August 15 2011.

Groundswell has just opened a Facebook page, and fittingly, it totally blank at the moment. We’re looking for people to join the group, invite their friends, and generate the content … and of course the logo!

The future will be what we make it.

Member of Knesset, Tzipi Hotovely, was a speaker at last year's Limmud-Oz in Melbourne

By Anthony Frosh & Rachel Sacks-Davis

Advocates of boycotts, divestments and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, Vivienne Porzsolt and Peter Slezak, have had their applications to speak at Limmud-Oz next month in Sydney denied. Limmud-Oz Program Director, Michael Misrachi, explained that this decision was made because BDS includes advocating a ban on Israeli academics and performers whereas Limmud-Oz supports engagement with Israeli academics and performers.

Porzsolt has called on Limmud-Oz to reconsider their decision, which she warns, “can only, once again, bring ridicule and contempt on the Jewish community.” Since receiving the email informing her that her application to speak at Limmud-Oz had not been successful, Porzsolt has contacted a number of publications including Galus Australis regarding the incident.

Despite Porzsolt’s claim that BDS “is not aimed at individual writers and academics but at academic and cultural institutions,” it is unclear why advocates of BDS are not themselves boycotting Limmud-Oz, which not only hosts Israeli speakers, but is associated with Limmud International, a global organization encompassing branches in Israel amongst other places.

In response to the claim made by BDS advocates that BDS distinguishes between individuals and institutions, Misrachi said, “The distinction they draw between boycotting institutions and individuals is disingenuous. If the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is boycotted, it affects academics from the institution. The reality of the BDS campaign is that it is part of a calculated attack on Israel’s legitimacy.”

Regarding the decision by Limmud-Oz, Porzsolt alleges, “the Jewish community leadership has chosen to oppose the free expression of ideas and misrepresent the facts.” Limmud-Oz has responded to these allegations, stating that they do “not deny that proponents of BDS have the right to express their views to whomever they like. But that right does not impose an obligation on [Limmud-Oz] to provide them with a space to do so.”

In a statement, Limmud-Oz has added that it does not “shy away from the tough issues or from challenging points of view.” It points out that there are a number of sessions at Limmud-Oz that tackle the very issues of BDS and criticism of Israel.

Michael Brull, who states that he is against BDS but supports targeted boycotts against settlements, claims that Limmud-Oz have “dis-invited” Vivienne Porzsolt and Peter Slezak from presenting on the “grounds of inadequate loyalty to the Israeli government.”

Limmud-Oz emphasised that, “Criticism of Israel or the policies of its government similar to that levelled against any other country is entirely acceptable, and is an everyday occurrence within Israel itself. However … the BDS campaign is an attack on Israel’s basic legitimacy and harms the Jewish people as a whole, as does the singling out of Israel for unjust criticism.”

Although Brull stated that he was concerned that he too might not be welcome to speak at Limmud-Oz, the organisers have confirmed that he will be speaking at the event on a panel titled, “Beyond the Pale: Disagreeing about Israel.”

In the interests of full disclosure: In the past (and quite possibly in the future), Galus Australis has promoted Limmud-Oz events.