Jesse Orine -

Australian writers’ festival collapses — and apologizes — after boycott over disinvited Palestinian activist

January 13, 2026January 13, 2026Jesse Orine

The organizers of an Australian literary festival pulled the plug on this year’s event on Tuesday, after nearly 200 authors said they would boycott over the disinvitation of a Palestinian-Australian author and activist who has justified “armed struggle.” The board of the Adelaide Writers’ Week announced last week that they had disinvited Randa Abdel-Fattah, saying they […]

As we mark shloshim for Bondi Beach, we also ask: Can Australia’s multicultural project survive?

January 12, 2026January 12, 2026Jesse Orine

SYDNEY — “As a Holocaust survivor, I want my Australia back!” This was the impassioned plea that garnered rapturous applause from several thousand mourners who converged in the pouring rain at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening to mark shloshim — the 30 days of mourning since the Hanukkah massacre that claimed 15 lives on Dec. […]

Iran threatens to attack Israel if Trump strikes Tehran over crackdown on protesters

January 12, 2026January 12, 2026Jesse Orine

Iranian leaders say they could attack Israel if the United States strikes Iran over its response to a sweeping anti-government protest movement. “Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories as well as all U.S. bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer […]

After Australian literary festival drops Palestinian activist, citing Bondi massacre, dozens boycott in solidarity

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026Jesse Orine

An Australian writers’ festival is facing backlash after it announced it had removed an Australian-Palestinian author from its lineup over concerns her inclusion would “not be culturally sensitive” in the wake of the Bondi massacre. The decision by the organizers of Adelaide Writers’ Week to disinvite Palestinian Australian author, lawyer and activist Randa Abdel-Fattah comes […]

Following pressure from Jewish leaders, Australian PM Anthony Albanese announces inquiry into Bondi attack

January 8, 2026January 8, 2026Jesse Orine

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday the launch of a Royal Commission inquiry, the country’s highest level of inquiry, into the antisemitic terrorist attack on Bondi Beach last month. The wide-ranging inquiry will also investigate the “nature and prevalence of antisemitism” in the country, provide recommendations to law enforcement to combat antisemitism and […]

This Jewish artist fought Nazis with a paintbrush, when art like his still mattered

January 8, 2026January 8, 2026Jesse Orine

I remember being freaked out, and fascinated, by my parents’ copy of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales. It featured these especially lurid illustrations; I can still see a little girl in a red coat, trapped in a spider’s web and tormented by lizards, bats and a huge black spider with a skull and crossbones on […]

British Jewish groups call for resignation of police chief who banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from soccer match

January 7, 2026January 7, 2026Jesse Orine

Two British Jewish groups are calling for the ouster of a local police chief over claims that the force allegedly mishandled the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a soccer game in November. The decision to ban the fans from a match against Aston Villa Football Club on Nov. 6 was initially made after […]

Venezuela’s Jewish diaspora is relieved to see Maduro deposed. But can they imagine returning?

January 7, 2026January 7, 2026Jesse Orine

TEL AVIV — It was the moment Samy Yecutieli had been anticipating for years, though he didn’t expect it to happen quite like this. Born and raised in Caracas, the security expert and now real-estate agent followed last week’s dramatic news of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s abduction by U.S. forces and subsequent court appearance in […]

BBC draws fire after airing Holocaust cello repair story that does not specially mention Jews

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026Jesse Orine

In a Christmas special this year, a BBC One program devoted a quarter of its episode to telling the story of a Jewish child refugee whose cello was damaged while fleeing the Nazis on the Kindertransport. But while the story itself is steeped in Jewish history, the segment of the program failed to make any […]

German antisemitism czar targeted in arson attack: ‘I will not be intimidated by this’

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026Jesse Orine

A property belonging to the antisemitism commissioner for the German state of Brandenburg was targeted in a suspected arson attack on Sunday. Andreas Büttner, the state’s commissioner of combatting antisemitism, wrote in a post on X that his family was home at the time of the attack, which targeted a shed on his property in […]