New podcast addresses Australian life post Oct 7

Listen to Tensions Transplanted now

The impacts of Hamas’ brutal October 7 terrorist attack, and Israel’s resultant war in Gaza, have torn through the Jewish diaspora, and continue to widely be felt at home in Australia.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have plagued city streets and universities, targeted and doxxed Jewish creatives and turned social media into a hostile battleground.

This ongoing experience is the focus of a new investigative podcast from The Jewish Independent, which launches tomorrow and continues weekly in the lead up to the anniversary of October 7.

The four-part series, called Tensions Transplanted, examines how Australian life has changed post October 7, bringing together wide-ranging perspectives and stories from renowned journalists, community leaders, politicians, artists and students with lived experience.

Host Rob Kaldor – an experienced Sydney-based radio producer who has worked at the ABC and Nine – describes the “deeply personal” project as one that feels “almost impossible to ignore”.

“Since October 7, life in Australia has changed in ways that echo the world of my parents and grandparents,” Kaldor told The Jewish Independent.

“The conflict in the Middle East is now touching every corner of Australian life – schools, universities, workplaces, the arts, and even politics at the highest level. But it’s the personal stories, the accounts of individuals whose safety and livelihoods have been disrupted, that I feel compelled to share.

"By humanising these experiences, I believe we can begin to heal the wounds threatening our social cohesion."

Each episode is a deep dive into a specific impact of October 7 on the Australian landscape. The first instalment investigates the immediate fallout of the Hamas attack; the second delves into the online battleground with a focus on doxxing; the third unpacks shifts in the education sector; and the fourth and final explores the impact on Australian politics.

Kaldor engages with an "essential" and diverse range of experts and individuals from all sides of the conflict – including pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist activists – some of whom have chosen to remain anonymous due to ongoing repercussions.

Key guests include Macnamara MP Josh Burns, influencers Marnie Pearlstein and Clammy Fraud, and veteran broadcaster Kel Richards, among many others.

Kaldor wants the podcast to bring a personal lens to the daily political discourse surrounding the Gaza war, believing it is up to the listener to evaluate the validity of the perspectives presented. He encourages people to listen with an "open mind", and says "the end goal... is to talk to each other".

TJI's editor-in-chief Deborah Stone, who commissioned the project, believes Tensions Transplanted provides an important opportunity to hear directly from impacted Australians.

“This isn’t just some distant conflict. It is having profound effects on each of us and on our society, even here on the other side of the world. Every time we cover it at TJI, we get a spike in attention, so we know people care,” said Stone, who appears in the podcast’s first episode.

“Rob is great podcaster. He’s very experienced and he’s created a series that’s engaging, varied and important. As we lead up to our anniversary coverage of the October 7 tragedy, this is exactly the kind of content Australians want and need.”

Those inspired by the podcast and are looking to share their own experiences of being Jewish in Australia post October 7 are invited to take part in The Jewish Independent’s community project, which will form part of the publication’s special anniversary coverage, alongside a news bulletin featuring the insights of leading Jewish thinkers.

Tensions Transplanted will be released every Friday from September 6 via The Jewish Independent’s website and on all popular podcasting platforms.

Listen to Tensions Transplanted now