If Israel is to be a true Jewish home, Diaspora Jews must act now to defend its values

Weekly mass protests have been a feature of Israeli life for more than five years now.

These protests began outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem in 2019 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was charged with corruption.

They have since spread across the country, morphing to respond to a continuous series of convulsions shaking Israel’s civil fabric.

Through multiple election cycles, attacks on judicial independence, attempts to fire senior civil servants and dissenting cabinet ministers, corruption scandals, through the post-October 7 paralysis and the hostage crisis, thousands of Israelis have, week after week, teemed to the streets angry at the way the country is being led.  

Diaspora Jews and expatriate Israelis have demonstrated in support of the Israelis fighting for their democracy. In Australia, a network of protests has emerged in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Canberra.

The constant protests are an indication of a country in crisis.