Writes Elisabeth Wynhausen in a feature article, "Careful, they might hear you" in The Australian:
"Since late March the Australian Jewish community - like Jewish communities across the world - has been caught up in the controversy over a paper titled The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard University".
It's an interesting article for on one level it reveals that there are really no more than 100,000 - 120,000 Jews in Australia - far less than probably most assume. Then again, does the Jewish community exert any pressure on media outlets?
As the writer says, criticism of Israel almost inevitably draws a complaint of anti-semitism. For instance:
".......sophistication was not in evidence when .... parliamentary colleague Michael Danby, the Labor member for Melbourne Ports, learned that Sydney left-wing journalist and author Antony Loewenstein was writing a book about Israel and the Australian Jewish community for Melbourne University Publishing.
Last September, 11 months before the scheduled publication of Loewenstein's book, My Israel Question, Danby wrote an outraged letter about it to The Australian Jewish News, saying: "MUP should drop this whole disgusting project. If they proceed, I urge the Australian Jewish community, and particularly The Australian Jewish News, to treat it with dignified silence. That is our best response. If, God forbid, it is published, don't give them a dollar. Don't buy the book."
Read the complete article here. It will, like in the USA, probably result in some controversy.
"Since late March the Australian Jewish community - like Jewish communities across the world - has been caught up in the controversy over a paper titled The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard University".
It's an interesting article for on one level it reveals that there are really no more than 100,000 - 120,000 Jews in Australia - far less than probably most assume. Then again, does the Jewish community exert any pressure on media outlets?
As the writer says, criticism of Israel almost inevitably draws a complaint of anti-semitism. For instance:
".......sophistication was not in evidence when .... parliamentary colleague Michael Danby, the Labor member for Melbourne Ports, learned that Sydney left-wing journalist and author Antony Loewenstein was writing a book about Israel and the Australian Jewish community for Melbourne University Publishing.
Last September, 11 months before the scheduled publication of Loewenstein's book, My Israel Question, Danby wrote an outraged letter about it to The Australian Jewish News, saying: "MUP should drop this whole disgusting project. If they proceed, I urge the Australian Jewish community, and particularly The Australian Jewish News, to treat it with dignified silence. That is our best response. If, God forbid, it is published, don't give them a dollar. Don't buy the book."
Read the complete article here. It will, like in the USA, probably result in some controversy.
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