Alex Dafner, Most Jewish candidates won their seats...Yiddish Report 26.5.2019

Most Australian Jewish candidates representing the main political parties in Victoria and NSW in the just completed Australian elections on the 18th May 2019, won their seats, however the recently elected Jewish independent candidate in the seat of Wentworth, Kerryn Phelps was unsuccessful and lost her seat to the Liberal candidate and former Australian ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma. The just returned Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison received, amongst messages from other leaders from around the world, a congratulatory message from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he expressed the hope that the close relationship between the two countries will be further strengthened under his continuing leadership. Many Australians watched the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, held in Tel-Aviv, from the 15th to 18th May, in which the Aussie singer Kate Miller-Heidke gained 9th spot in the finals, whilst Jews in Israel and Australia were also relieved that the event was highly successful with only minor pro-Palestinian protests expressed by the singers from Iceland and guest performer Maddona. Opponents of reparation payments to Jews, who lost their property in Poland during WWII, marched through the streets of Warsaw and the ruling PIS party and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared that no such reparations would be paid, as Poland itself was a victim in WWII and should be compensated for its loss and suffering. Moishe Fishman e”h, a well known and highly respected Holocaust survivor from Radom in Poland and a guide at the Jewish Holocaust Centre and Museum in Melbourne over many years, passed away at the age of 97.

Source: SBS