Rawan Osman is building bridges
Ahead of her August visit, Osman praised WIZO’s work and said Israelis are fighting on behalf of all of us.
When Rawan Osman was a teenager in Lebanon, she was a fan of Hezbollah. Today, she is converting to Judaism and planning to make Aliyah.
Osman spoke to The AJN ahead of her visit to Melbourne for WIZO Victoria’s Gala “Beyond Brave” on August 18.
Born in Syria to Sunni and Shi’ite parents, raised in Lebanon where she attended a Catholic school, Osman said she was exposed to Islamist, Christian and secular antisemitism. After living in France and Germany she met Jewish people, and now describes herself as a “reformed antisemite”, and uses social media to dismantle barriers between Arabs and Jews, counter misinformation, and challenge conspiracy theories.
“I do identify as a recovered antisemite, because I want, especially Jews, to understand that there is hope,” she told The AJN.
“The situation is terrible, everybody knows that since October 7, antisemitism is on the rise everywhere you look. However, by identifying as a recovered antisemite, I remind people that transformation is possible, that indoctrination is what leads to this obsessive hatred, and this is not the end of the story. We need to have faith, roll our sleeves up and do something about it.”
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