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HomeRead, Watch, ListenIsrael
Israel

Tears, questions and the need for change

Sharon Berger
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Published: 24 May 2023

Last updated: 13 November 2025

Audiences visibly moved by hearing Bassam and Rami talk

It was another whirlwind day for Rami and Bassam as they kicked off the Melbourne leg of their tour. Students from King David as well as Monash University (studying the Arab-Israeli conflict) were deeply moved by hearing Rami and Bassam’s story, with both sessions running out of time with so many questions. This was followed by a joint Zoom call with Jewish Greens, Australian Jewish Democratic Society and Multicultural Greens from across the country.

The evening’s highlight was a joint event with the Melbourne Jewish Book Week and King David School. The enraptured audience of over 230 people listened to Rami and Bassam in conversation with The Jewish Independent Editor-in-Chief Deborah Stone.The wide-ranging conversation was sobering yet inspiring, leaving the audience optimistic that there is another way to the current cycles of violence in a seemingly never ending conflict.

The Jewish Independent
The Jewish Independent
The Jewish Independent
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About the author

Sharon Berger

Sharon Berger

Sharon Berger is the Events & Partnerships Manager at TJI. Sharon is a former journalist for The Jerusalem Post, Reuters, the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Australian Jewish News.

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