How did the Australian Jewish Left respond to the first wave of pro-Palestinian activism from 1967-75? By Professor Philip Mendes, November 2023

How did the Australian Jewish Left respond to the first wave of pro-Palestinian activism from 1967-75? By Professor Philip Mendes (Monash University), Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal, 26(3), November 2023, pp.363-379. Abstract During and following the 1967 Six Day War, many groups within the international Left abruptly shifted their position on the Middle East conflict…

Comment by Rabbi James Kennard, 6 November 2023

It’s usually improper for a school principal to disclose their political leanings, but in my case it is hardly a secret that I come from the Left. I have been a member of the UK Labour Party and of the ALP and I believe in a fairer distribution of wealth and power in society. But…

Contemporary progressives on antisemitism, Philip Mendes, Times of Israel, 17 November 2022

Explaining the ambivalence of contemporary progressives on antisemitism: Some learnings from Sima Arnold’s From Occupation to Occupy: Antisemitism and the contemporary American Left, Indiana University Press, 2022 by Professor Philip Mendes Every few months now, Australian student unions seem to pass extreme pro-BDS resolutions: https://anuobserver.org/2022/08/04/tired-of-being-interrogated-the-jewish-experience-on-campus-amidst-israel-palestine-debate/ The resolutions use highly inflammatory language, accusing Israel of perpetrating…