NIF Australia Podcast

At an extraordinarily challenging moment for Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the community here at home, New Israel Fund Australia brought to Australia two incredible visionaries, working collaboratively to materialise much needed change. At public events in Melbourne and Sydney, Dr Gershon Baskin, veteran peace activist, negotiator of Gilad Shalit's return and researcher of the Israeli–Pale...

The New Israel Fund brought to Australia elected leaders of the largest Arab-Jewish grassroots movement in Israel - Standing Together! Dr. Shahd Bishara and Nadav Shofet presented their bold vision, at public events in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, of an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, an end to the endless cycle of violence, and a future of peace, security and equa...

In the context of the ongoing Gaza war and recent volatilities with Iran, NIF Australia invited leading voices from the NIF Israel office, Shira Ben Sasson Furstenberg, NIF Israel Associate Director, and Sana Ibn Bari, NIF Israel Grants Manager for Negev and Gender programs, to unpack the current reality on the ground and share how it's shaping NIF's work fighting for democracy, equality, and just...

What is the rationale behind each of the dominant solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, who supports and opposes each, and which is most popular today?  Writer, educator and journalist in Jerusalem, Ittay Flescher, explores alternatives for the State of Israel at one of the toughest moments in the country's history.  

As the prospect of war on a third front between Israel and Hezbollah draws closer, NIF Australia executive director Michael Chaitow interviews veteran pollster and political analyst Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin about what this might mean for peace, security and the prospects of a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. 

Recorded live in Sydney 2 April 2024 and moderated by Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio at Emanuel Synagogue. Avi Dabush was in his home in Kibbutz Nirim on October 7th when Hamas terrorists attacked his home. Since then, he has continued his work, tirelessly fighting for peace, justice and equality for all in Israel-Palestine. An inspirational activist and leader, Avi is the Executive Director of Rabbis for...

Our conversation with peace activists Maoz Inon and Hamze Awawde as we continue to reel from the events of October 7 and the subsequent violence since.  Maoz lost his parents in the horrific attacks of October 7 and has since become a leading voice for peace in international media. Hamze is a Palestinian peace activist and conflict resolution expert, committed to leading programs that bring Jewish...

Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that there is a need to address the rising tensions in Australian society. NIF is proud to bring you an important conversation that promises to provide a nuanced understanding of our current reality, and the need to strengthen social cohesion during these difficult times. Join us for an engaging discussion with Josh Burns MP  and  Allegra Spender MP , h...

Our conversation with Dr Yeela Raanan of the Regional Council of Unrecognised Villages (RCUV). Donate to and learn about RCUV's work, particularly at this crucial moment, here: https://www.nif.org.au/donate

Our conversation with Dr Yasmeen Abu-Fraiha for the Jewish International Film Festival 2023, recorded November 12 2023. Yasmeen is a young doctor, specialising in internal medicine, who is currently acting as the Executive Director of Rodaina, an NGO she founded that aims to prevent genetic diseases in the Middle East, especially in the Bedouin community. She also serves on the Board of Directors...

For many years, activists have joined together across sectors to fight for land and rights for those in the occupied Palestinian territories and within Israel. This work has been made all the more challenging today, by major increases in settler violence, enabled by Israel's most right wing government in history that only this week, continued to expand its authority to advance its "unreasonable" a...

It is a dramatic time in Israel. With Netanyahu's government determined to proceed with their legislation seeking to reform Israel's democratic infrastructure, we have witnessed Israel's largest protest movement ever.  This broad protest movement turned into an inspiring non-violent uprising. Hundreds of thousands of citizens woke up, stood up and shouted – demanding freedom, equality and democrac...

After two Israelis were murdered in the occupied Palestinian territories on Sunday evening, Israeli settlers rampaged through the village of Huwara, killing one Palestinian resident and injuring 98 more. This horrific night – which news organisations including the Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post have called a 'pogrom' – comes amid growing violence in the West Bank, with Israel's far-right gover...

As we reflect on our own election results in Australia, yet another Israeli election and the changes in the US since 2020, multiple Pulitzer Prize winning author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman joined NIF Australia for a wide-ranging discussion. You can watch this event as a video on YouTube.

Join Anshel Pfeffer, one of Israel's leading political journalists, for a detailed update ahead of Israel's fifth election in four years.  With Anshel's expertise and unique analysis, this is a great opportunity to understand the latest news, candidates, party mergers and new government possibilities, and ask your questions about what it means for Israeli democracy, the likelihood of ongoing insta...

Join two leading journalists from Haaretz, Israel's oldest daily newspaper and one of its most influential media outlets, for in-depth analysis on Israeli politics one year into the new coalition government, reflections on the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a discussion on future of Israel's relationship with Diaspora Jewry. Noa Landau, Haaretz's deputy editor-in-chief, and Judy Ma...

Join our special discussion with Ehud Olmert, Israel's 12th prime minister, about his new book Searching for Peace. You can watch this podcast as the original video even, if you prefer. Click through to watch on YouTube. Written during his 16 month incarceration for receiving a bribe, the book charts his journey from young Knesset member for the Likud party, to mayor of Jerusalem and finally to pr...

Listen to our event with Israel Prize winning choreographer and contemporary dancer Ohad Naharin. You can watch the full event on our YouTube page. Over the last month, calls to boycott the Sydney Festival after it received sponsorship from the Israeli embassy for a production of Naharin's Decadance have featured prominently on social and mainstream media. One of Israel's most celebrated cultural...

You can watch this event as a video on YouTube. Join NIF's global CEO Daniel Sokatch for a Q&A and discussion about his newly released book, "Can We Talk About Israel?" Written from his front row seat running NIF, the book grapples with the many fraught conversations that we have about modern Israel today – the settlements, the status of Arab-Israelis, Evangelical support for Israel, the BDS movem...

This is the audio version of an event we ran on Tuesday 23 November. You can watch it in full on YouTube. If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that antisemitism remains a real threat to Jews around the world. Yet, the push to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism in law and policy – a move recently embraced by the Morrison...

Watch this on YouTube Join our discussion with two leaders from NIF's global board – Naomi Chazan, former deputy speaker of the Knesset, and Reem Younis, co-founder of Nazareth-based Alpha Omega and hi-tech entrepreneur – on the future of Jewish-Arab shared society in Israel after the inter-communal violence earlier this year. This clip is part of NIF's celebration of 10 years event. Watch the ful...

Watch this on YouTube Join Labor's shadow foreign affairs minister Senator the Hon. Penny Wong for a discussion on challenges facing liberal democracies, human rights and the situation in Israel-Palestine. This clip is part of NIF's celebration of 10 years event. Watch the full video on YouTube.

This is an audio version of an event we hosted on 12 October 2021. You can watch the event in full on our YouTube channel. How do journalists share complex issues, particularly when they are writing for an audience which is on the other side of the world? Join our discussion with John Lyons, the author of a new book, Dateline Jerusalem which looks at how Israel is covered by the Australian media a...

We apologise that this event is being added to our podcast late (the event was recorded on 18 May 2021). We had some technical issues that took time to resolve, including with the volume of some of our speakers. We appreciate your patience. You may be required to adjust the volume up/down while you listen. Thanks as always. Join two leaders shaping their country's political conversations – Adam Ba...

In a time of fake news, rising populism and renewed antisemitism, join two of the world's leading historians, Sir Simon Schama and Professor Deborah Lipstadt, in conversation with NIF's global president and UCLA Jewish History Professor David Myers, discuss how our understanding of history shapes our current reality. Navigating how this plays out in a fractured Israel and a divided America, amidst...