Dvir Abramovich, at The Blogs

Jan 13, 2016, 2:49 PM

Sticks and Stones will break my bones, and words will often hurt me

As we begin a new year, I want to talk about freedom of speech and hate speech. Hate speech is a topic which is frequently debated in Australia, and no doubt, around the world. For the record, let me concede that all sides can venture compelling and...

Nov 13, 2014, 11:03 AM

Kristallnacht and the lessons for today

This month, 76 years ago in Germany and Austria, over two infernal days, more than 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Over 300 synagogues were torched, thousands of Jewish-owned shops and homes were ransacked and cemeteries and schools were vandalized. According to...

Aug 30, 2014, 9:58 AM

Beating Israel Up: A guide to the perplexed

Every day, as you drink your morning coffee and read the paper you can bet that Israel will be bashed and pilloried in the media and elsewhere. This is regardless of what it has done, what its political leaders have said, what restraint it has...

Mar 19, 2014, 2:44 AM

The mystery of the Left and Israel

Do you sometimes wonder why some segments of the left are so irrationally hostile to Israel. I do. And I wish there were simple answers. One of the strange things about the left’s animosity to Israel is that it absurdly goes against most of the...

Mar 14, 2014, 8:00 AM

My BDS questions

There will be many wanting to get in line to cheer British Prime Minister David Cameron. Why? Because of his remarkable speech to the Israeli Parliament yesterday and for his courageous stance on the BDS, “To those who do not share my ambition, who want...

About Me

Dr. Dvir Abramovich is Director of the Program in Jewish Culture and Society at The University of Melbourne and the Israel Kipen Senior Lecturer in Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He is also Chairman of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission. He served as President of Australian Association of Jewish studies and editor of the Australian Journal of Jewish Studies. A widely sought out speaker and media commentator, he has authored and edited three books and numerous articles.