Skip to main content

Fauda and the shadow of October 7

I'm delighted to have been published again in the Spectator. I begin with a review of Fauda season 5, but then I reflect on what it means for Australia and the way that we deal with terrorism (poorly).

I write that "Bondi showed that Australian authorities are failing to act decisively on intelligence, adequately train and equip first responders, or address the true root causes of ideologically motivated violence. " 

I conclude, "The realities seen in Fauda should also prompt Australians into asking why so many Jewish people are fleeing to Israel because they feel safer there than on the streets of Sydney and Melbourne. With so many people reconsidering their safety in Australia, our leaders must confront their failures honestly and act before it is too late."







Popular posts from this blog

The Bondi attack response, Antisemitism, Free Speech, Gun Laws, Migration

  I’m honoured to have been interviewed by Nirmal Singh for the “Perth Dialogues” program. https://youtu.be/-Fn6Yr7JomY We covered the “ Bondi attack response, Antisemitism, Free Speech, Gun Laws, Migration.” There’s a lot there, so I have linked directly to individual questions/topics that may be of interest.   01:50 The Bondi Terror Attack: Context and Significance 03:24 The Security Situation for Jewish Australians 04:58 Australian counter-terrorism capability (comments from Lt Col Itay Gil) 07:39 Understanding Hanukkah and Its Importance 11:20 The message sent by the terrorists 13:42 Calls for a Royal Commission: Community Demands 15:46 Can the Prime Minister be Trusted? 18:57 Two-tiered/unequal law/migration enforcement in Australia 21:45 Exploring the Drivers of Terrorism (Ideology, incitement) 24:34 Does terrorism/Bondi really have “nothing to do with religion”? 28:07 The Concept of Intifada and Its Implications 29:03 Antisem...
Read more

Fake Overseas Degrees

 The issue of fake degrees from overseas has hit the news. But this is not a new issue. Concerns have been raised for years -- it has been claimed that people are being admitted to Australian universities based on fake qualifications from overseas. To its credit, the ABC has covered this issue, but insufficient action has been taken. The worst example that I read was of students who were supposed to have IT degrees, but many of these students "seemed to be unable to understand instructions or understand the material that was put in front of them, and there were, also, cases of students who apparently didn't understand how to use a computer in any sophisticated way, so even logging on was a struggle for some students. There were also stories about students not recognizing what a USB stick was and other incidents which you would not expect to see from students who have an IT degree."  ABC: Cash Cows  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-06/cash-cows/11084858 ABC: Degrees of ...
Read more

Radio ZZZ Interview

I was honoured to be interviewed on Radio ZZZ for the L'Chaim program. We covered Hamas and the war in Gaza, Jewish faith and belief, and Western democracy. My interview starts at 3:20. https://omny.fm/shows/lchaim-to-life/lchaim-to-life-s14-e13-03-12-2025
Read more