Striving for balance in unprecedented times

It has been suggested to us that much of the content in The AJN of late has been of the negative variety.

Sadly, that is a reflection of the times. The past two-and-a-half years have been unprecedented days for Australian and world Jewry. Beginning with the horrors of October 7 in Israel and culminating in the massacre at Bondi, these times have tested our community like nothing before. We have seen shules firebombed, creatives doxxed, students harassed and the streets of our cities taken over by hate-fuelled mobs calling for the end of the Jewish nation-state.

Our businesses have been review bombed or literally chased out of their neighbourhoods. We have been subjected to online abuse. We have had extremist politicians bait us and trumpet antisemitic conspiracy theories, all while arrogantly thinking they can define where the line that defines hatred against Jews is drawn. Sadly, this week’s edition contains yet more examples of what we have had to endure.

Please believe us, we have not enjoyed writing about these things any more than you, dear reader, have enjoyed reading about them.

Which is why it is wonderful to celebrate something once in a while. So it was an absolute pleasure to put Australian snowboarder Scotty James’s Olympic silver medal on our cover this week.