Meet our team

Michael Gawenda is one of Australia’s best-known journalists and authors. Michael has been a political reporter, foreign correspondent in London and Washington, and was editor and editor in chief of The Age from 1997 to 2004. He has won three Walkley awards.

Julie Szego is a freelance writer, lecturer and former columnist for the Age/SMH. Her non-fiction book, The Tainted Trial of Farah Jama, was shortlisted for the Victorian and NSW Premier’s Literary Awards for 2015.

Rabbi Ralph Genende OAM is Senior Rabbi of Jewish Care Victoria and of Kesher, The Connecting Community, and the author of Living in an Upside-Down World.

Nomi Kaltmann is a Melbourne lawyer who writes regularly on Jewish life and culture. Nomi is also the founder and inaugural president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance Australia (JOFA).

Vic Alhadeff OAM is former CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and former editor of the Australian Jewish News.

Anne Susskind is a former Sydney Morning Herald journalist who emigrated from South Africa in the 1980s

Isabelle Oderberg’s journalism has appeared in The Age/SMH, Guardian, ABC, Meanjin and elsewhere. She also worked as a media and communications strategist across the not-for-profit sector. Hard to Bear is her first book.

Sidra Kranz Moshinsky is a writer, researcher and educational leader. Having taught and led in Jewish education for over fifteen years at a number of schools, she is now working on projects across the community, including the Jewish Museum of Australia. Sidra is also a board member of Stand Up Australia: Jewish commitment to a better world.

Ittay moved to Israel in 2018 after 15 years as a high school teacher in Melbourne. In addition to working for The Jewish Independent, Ittay is also the Education Director at a youth movement that brings together Israeli and Palestinian teenagers.

Ben Lynfield, who lives in Jerusalem, has covered Israeli and Palestinian politics for The Independent and served as Middle Eastern affairs correspondent at the Jerusalem Post. He contributes to the Guardian, regional publications and has contributed to the Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy and the New Statesman.

Eetta Prince-Gibson, who lives in Jerusalem, is a former Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Report, is currently Israel Editor for Moment Magazine and a regular contributor to Haaretz, The Forward, PRI, and other Israeli and international publications.

Colin Shindler is an emeritus professor of Israel Studies at SOAS, University of London, a contributor to the Jewish Chronicle, Haaretz and other publications and the author of numerous books about Israel.