Freedland: Jews must not abandon the left

Jonathan Freedland, who writes a column for The Guardian, will appear in Melbourne on Tuesday 3 March and Sydney on Wednesday 4 March.

In an interview ahead of his visit, Freedland said he would be arriving “in part in listening mode” and “very keen to hear and learn from the Australian Jewish community.”

He acknowledged the particular trauma faced by Australian Jews, noting that “in Australia, it’s obviously a very sharp and intense example because of Bondi.”

The journalist, who describes himself as broadly being on the left, addressed whether October 7 had undercut support for the left among Jews worldwide.

“I think that probably has happened,” he said, noting “there was definitely disappointment among many Jews, including Jews on the left, that the formal institutions or movements associated with the left were not there for the Jewish community in solidarity after October 7.”