It is not treachery for Jews to criticise Israel’s conduct of the war

Australia’s Jewish representative bodies do not speak for all Jews. Those who are critical of Israel are struggling to make their voices heard.

We all know the saying, “two Jews, three opinions”. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Jews in Australia have a multitude of views on Israel. Yet, any member of the wider public listening to the voices of our Jewish representative organisations would hardly know that Jews opposing Israel’s conduct even exist. 

Back in November, almost one thousand Jews in Australia signed a letter call for a ceasefire saying that Israel’s actions in Gaza don’t align with their Jewish values. Hundreds more have attended rallies and events throughout the country, calling out Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians.

Around the world, thousands of Jews are rising up and crying “Not in Our Name”, staging some of the largest ever acts of civil disobedience. Only this week, Jonathan Glazer, the English Jewish director of Holocaust film The Zone of Interest, criticised the hijacking of Holocaust memory as justification for ongoing occupation and violence against Palestinians. In Australia and around the world, there is a rich history of Jewish criticism of Israel and opposition to Zionism.