Nadav Eyal on ‘maintaining hope and humanity’

Acclaimed Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal believes Israel needs to recognise the fact that Jews around the world are in the minority and are therefore in a precarious position as antisemitism and anti-Zionism continue to escalate.

Eyal, who many will know as a regular on Dan Senor’s Call Me Back podcast, will be in Australia next month to interview Hamas captivity survivor Eli Sharabi live on stage for JNF Australia’s campaign.

Speaking to The AJN, Eyal said antisemitic incidents in Australia have been widely covered in Israel and he is pushing for Israel to support Jewish communities in the Diaspora.

“Jewish communities around the world have found themselves in an impossible position after October 7 and we Israelis need to focus more on how the Diaspora is regaining itself,” said Eyal.

“Considering the considerable support that these communities have shown to Israel in ever more difficult situations in their own societies, I think there needs to be more recognition and appreciation, and more actual support from Israeli establishments to Jewish communities around the world. It’s essential for this to happen.”

With the true meaning of Zionism being twisted and used to justify antisemitic attacks, Eyal also believes that it is Israel’s responsibility to come up with a plan to combat anti-Zionism.

“Israel needs to lead that plan because Israel is the manifestation of the Zionist idea,” he said.

“You need to have a strategy of combating anti-Zionism. You need to have a strategy of educating. You need to understand tactically how are you going to handle social networks, where this propaganda is being decimated. And you need to basically invest a lot of resources.

“It’s Israel’s job to do that. It can try to enlist parts of the Jewish world that sees themselves as Zionists and want to contribute, but basically it’s on Israelis and it’s on Israel, because to a large extent the reason that this discussion, this discourse, exploded in the way it has is because of a conflict.”

Eyal, a recipient of the prestigious Sokolov Prize, said he remembers the years when Australia was a good friend of Israel’s and finds it “discomforting” to see close allies drifting away. He believes much of the anti-Israel sentiment is a result of the “specific information” that is taking precedence.

“A lot of people don’t know that Israeli soldiers are dying now on a weekly basis,” he said.

“They think this is all Israel attacking civilians in Gaza, they don’t know that Israeli soldiers of 18, 19, are dying in Gaza and they’re dying because Hamas is killing them. Hamas is killing them because this is a war.

“If you want to talk about this war, you need to talk about this as a war. This has completely been wiped out from the conversation as far as I can see, specifically in Australia.

“If Hamas suddenly tomorrow morning decides, with no conditions, to release the hostages, the war would be over in five minutes. This is something they always miss. They see it as just a fact of life that the hostages are there. No Israeli feels that, no one within the wider Jewish world feels that.”

Eyal has found the attacks on synagogues and on an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne distressing, which is also why he is looking forward to enjoying a “moment of comfort and togetherness” alongside the Australian Jewish community.

He is honoured to be interviewing Sharabi and to give the audience a rare glimpse into a “really beautiful character of resilience”. Sharabi will share details about his 491 days in captivity, as well as the tragic murders of his wife and daughters on October 7.

“I’m thrilled and excited to actually meet this person, specifically after knowing what we know about Eli Sharabi and the way he described his time in captivity and the way Israel has been influenced by his story,” said Eyal.

“In the case of Eli Sharabi, it’s not only about survival, it’s also about maintaining hope and humanity in the most darkest places that a man could meet. And because of that, the story tells itself.”

To book for JNF Australia’s 2025 campaign events visit jnf.org.au or call 1300 563 563. The events take place in Sydney on September 2, in Melbourne on September 4 and in Perth on September 7. Eli Sharabi will appear in all cities; Nadav Eyal will interview him in Sydney and Melbourne only.