The letter from 'Down Under'..... A Different Kind of Jew Dear all, Last December I attended the Gaza Freedom March in Cairo to highlight the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. For the last months I've worked on a radio documentary feature for ABC Radio National's 360 program, Australia's finest space for long-form radio work and the equivalent of America's NPR. I aimed to create an essay that discussed the event itself and wider issues about Zionism and Judaism. Here's the blurb for the show: Best-selling author Antony Loewenstein joins the Gaza Freedom March in Cairo to test his ideas about dissent and Jewish identity. Antony was one of 1,400 activists who met in Cairo to protest against the Israeli siege on the Gaza strip, but their plans were thwarted by the Egyptian government. Antony has spent a number of years publicly challenging the actions of Israel. For these attitudes he's been called a 'self-hating Jew' and an 'anti-Semite'. In A Different Kind of Jew Antony examines the role of Judaism in the modern age and the religion's relationship to the contested Israeli/Palestinian conflict. My photographs from Gaza and Cairo are also published by the ABC. The documentary aired last weekend and received coverage in Australia and the US (here and here). It's encouraging that dissenting Jews are finding their voice (something I also address in a recent essay). Til next time, Antony |
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