‘A proud Australian, a proud Jew’

Josh Frydenberg says his Judaism runs deep as a cultural imprint but never dominated his politics — until October 7 changed what he felt obliged to do with his voice.

“I felt I needed to use my voice and my position in society to advocate for what is right, and that’s why I made the [Never Again: The Fight against Antisemitism] documentary. That’s why I made the speech at Bondi. That’s why I’ve worked with others to establish the Dor Foundation,” the former treasurer told The AJN at the launch of his memoir A Grateful Son in Sydney on Tuesday.

Published by HarperCollins, A Grateful Son traces Frydenberg’s upbringing shaped by his immigrant grandparents, his early tennis ambitions, his studies at Oxford and Harvard, and his time as a political staffer. It covers his election to Kooyong, his ministries under three Prime Ministers, the pandemic, losing his seat in 2022, and his advocacy against antisemitism.

What Australia has seen in the past three years, he said, was a sea change.

“A seismic shift in people’s attitudes towards Israel and the Jews, and there are really worrying signs of where this can go in Australia if left unchecked,” he said. “It’s un-Australian, and we need to get all the good people to find their voice.”