Items
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Social Issues
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2020-10-15
Jewish Melbourne: Kadimah event with Michael Gawenda and Mark Leibler
Given lockdown restrictions, online programming was necessary for Jewish organisations. "Join Michael Gawenda – journalist, Yiddishist and author of The Powerbroker – and Mark Leibler AC – Jewish lawyer and community leader – in conversation with Kadimah board member and Sir Zelman Cowen Centre director Professor Kathy Laster. Why are so many Jews attracted to the legal profession? What shaped Mark Leibler’s – and so many other prominent Jewish lawyers’ – commitment to Indigenous people and causes? Was Mark able to shed his natural caution as a lawyer to open up for the biography? Is there a connection between pro bono contributions and Jewish values? For biographer and subject, how is it possible to reconcile the professional, public and personal responsibilities of a distinguished and multilayered life in the law? The renowned lawyer, his biographer and the academic unpack the deep, multi-layered influences on a formidable career and life." -
2020-05-20
Jewish Melbourne: Stand Up 'Leadership in a Crisis' webinar
This post advertises a webinar that took place, providing a link to the recording on youtube, of a 'Leadership in a Crisis' conversation with Ronni Kahn AO and Josh Burns MP, facilitated by Stand Up CEO Gideon Reisner -
2020-08-06
Jewish Melbourne: Stand Up zoom session with Mt Scopus students
"Yesterday, students at Mount Scopus Memorial College had the first of two opportunities to meet with (over zoom, of course) Hosna Hamouda and hear her story. Hosna was born in Sudan, her family fled when she was just one and arrived in Australia at the age of 5 after being in transit in Egypt. Hosna spoke to students about the challenges of beginning school without any knowledge of English and her experiences growing up in Melbourne coming from a Sudanese background. In the next session, kids learn more about the Sudanese community in Melbourne and will brainstorm ways to make a contribution! #StandUpStandOut" -
2020-09-17
Jewish Melbourne: Stand Up zooming with King David School students
"Yesterday we zoomed with Year 5 students at King David, exploring the connections between social justice challenges and Rosh Hashana. 🙏 What an inspiring way to bring in 5781! Here's hoping we can run this program again next year, but in real life this time! Shana Tova!" -
2020-03-23
Casual Racism Towards Ethnic Asian Diaspora
This is a short video where I asked my friend Nikko Guan to share her experiences with casual racism toward ethnic Asians at the beginning of the pandemic here in Melbourne, Australia. There was a lot of panic and misinformation surrounding the coronavirus, and a lot of people attributed the origin of the virus (Wuhan China) with the cause of the virus and harboured distrust toward anyone who looked remotely foreign or Asian. Some of my friends and acquaintances who were Asian but not even Chinese also reported similar experiences. It's especially pertinent as this also affected Asian diaspora who were born in Australia and may have never even been overseas, but are judged purely on their appearance. My friend in the interview had not been to China, or anywhere internationally, for many years. It's important that a global disaster that is the result of natural catastrophe isn't judged on malice for political or racial prejudices. -
2020-06-02
Blackout Tuesday
HIST30060 Despite the global pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement saw a resurgence after the murder of American George Floyd in May of this year. Protests were sparked all over the world, pushing for the action to end the systematic racism experienced by people of colour (POC) and indigenous people all around the globe. I took this screen recording on my phone when, on June 2nd of this year, people all over the world participated in what was called ‘Blackout Tuesday’, where they would post black squares to their instagram account in an effort to project the voices of those who experience the systematic racism. I follow many celebrities on instagram, which you can see in this video many participated in the movement. However, the effort was quickly criticised, as the masses of posts featuring the black square began to dominate the Black Lives Matter (BLM) hashtag on all social media, an important tool that had been used by many to organise and publicise protests all over the world. Instead of the intended goal of projecting black voices over their white counterparts, the black squares instead silenced the important information that was being spread through the hashtag, doing the opposite of the intended effect. -
2020-06-19
Jewish Melbourne - Stand Up zoom event
On 19 June 2020 there was a Stand Up zoom event, streamed live to their Facebook page. This screenshot and Facebook link captures part of the day: "With Stand Up's CEO, Manager of Aboriginal Partnerships and a member of the Board, discussing life, social justice and everything in between. PS. Gideon (CEO) has been on zoom for 8 hours non-stop!" -
2020-07-26
Presenting a speech for the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society (social activist group), via Zoom - commemoration of 26th of July Revolutionary movement
HIST30060 -
2020-04-09
Jewish Melbourne: 'Police raid ultra-Orthodox prayer group above store in Ripponlea'
report in The Age, by Paul Sakkal: "Police raided an ultra-Orthodox Jewish prayer group in Melbourne’s inner-east on Thursday morning where a group of at least 10 men were praying in contravention of social-distancing rules. Just after 11am, about 10 police vehicles swooped on an apartment above an IGA store in Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea." -
2020-06-25
Ben Groundwater Tourism Article
This article talks of the metropolitan middle class and their 'invasion' of regional beauty spots - perforce, as they are not permitted to travel overseas currently. -
2020-06-26
Ballarat 9 26 June 2020 - Don't Necessarily Travel to the Regions!
I found the original article by Ben Groundwater extremely irritating and opposed to the balance of medical and state opinion. Just because the middle class are denied the opportunity currently to travel overseas does not mean they should be pounding off to regional centres which have largely been exempt from COVID-19. -
2020-05-09
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Bobo Matjila
“My social life has become non-existent, but my relationships are still quite strong. Isolation has forced me to be a better friend because it has required me to check up on people in ways that I never did before. For me this feels a bit like a break from the constant rat-race of life (but not a vacation). Everything feels slower, which I kind of like. I’m no longer forced to go to events or go out. I'm an introvert, so I love spending time at home. Life feels simple, and slow, and more intentional now. I’ve been able to catch up on lots of reading. I am also enjoying being able to walk down the street and not be harassed. I expected something like this to happen sooner or later. I always had the sense that the pace at which this city runs is not sustainable, so pretty soon it will collapse. I've been mentally and emotionally prepared for this to happen. Everyday people are dying, suffering, and in the depths of misery, which I feel is the norm of the human condition. Peace is the exception. I think that’s why I’m mentally not so affected by the pandemic, because I don't have hopeful expectations for humanity. If we all agreed on the basics that homelessness and suffering is unnecessary, then we could get rid of all of this in a couple of months and save the future of humanity. There’s a lot we can do to prevent this, I just don't think we will do it.” Instagram post on Bobo Matjila, podcast host & writer, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-05-08
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Fiona Blandford
“My work is very much in the community, having face to face conversations. So right now I am having lots of phone calls and zoom sessions. Forming new relationships using technology is hard, especially when everyone is dealing with their own personal stuff at this time. The government will be focused on jobs in getting the economy back to usual, so the environment is potentially going to be put on the backburner. We’re all really concerned about the future of the environment in terms of development and logging. The environment won't be of great priority in economic recovery. I was on holiday when lockdown started. Coming back to Melbourne was pretty shocking, and I was initially grieving the way things used to be. We’ve been doing lots of checking in with each other and touching base, which is really important but also exhausting. We were talking about Covid non-stop for 2-3 weeks. I'm getting better at not talking about it. I feel lucky to have a home, a great relationship with my partner and a job. We need to remember to have gratitude whilst dealing with everything else going on.” Instagram post on Fiona Blandford, community organizer of BirdLife Australia, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-05-06
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Alex Landragin
“COVID19 hasn’t really made a huge difference to my life. I was working full time up until last year, then I quit my job to go back to writing full time. I live alone, and my office is in my home, so I already spend most of my time socially isolated. I'm not sure yet how the pandemic will impact on my writing. I am using this time to do a large amount of reading and take in many ideas. Weirdly, the novel that I published last year is actually an apt one for a pandemic. A big part of the novel takes place in Paris in 1940 as the narrator, who is Jewish, waits for the Nazis to invade France; he is largely stuck in his flat and there’s a curfew going on. So in a way, my novel reflects the current reality. Sometimes a silver lining doesn’t justify the damage caused by the thunderstorm. But I hope that this pandemic will lead to a recalibration of our priorities, away from a fantasy happiness bubble living beyond our needs. I hope the return to scarcity will be accompanied by a return to cooperation, mutual assistance, empathy. Some of those values that we associate with helping each other through tough times I've been making a concerted effort to not rely too much on technology. I’ve made a deliberate decision to read more and I hope this quarantine will lead to a revival in interesting reading for all. I've been reading a book that was written almost 100 years ago. The main message I've taken from the book is that you’re never going to get used to this. The only thing you can do is get used to not getting used to it.” Instagram post on Alex Landragin, writer, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-27
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Raveena Grace
“There has certainly been an increase in waste due to the pandemic. A lot of people became used to reusable coffee cups, plates, cutlery and straws. But because of COVID19 we have seen cafes not being able to take them, and people are forced to use disposable cups. On campus, we had to close the Choose to Reuse program pretty early on due to fear of contamination. It’s pretty sad to see all your hard work get shut down, and especially from a behaviour change perspective it's very disappointing. On the other hand, COVID19 has brought some opportunity for sustainability. There is less pollution on the roads; more people are beginning to see that they can work from home; and people are appreciating nature more. There are many things people can do to improve their sustainability at home. For example, plants are really positive not only for health and wellbeing, but also for the environment and brightening the workspace. Either people will gain a really strong appreciation for nature, and an awareness that we are not invincible. Or people will not connect the links between COVID-19 and the environment, and continue taking earth for granted. If we don't learn from our mistakes about how to be kind to the earth, we’re just going to face the same issues again.” Instagram post on Raveena Grace, Sustainability Engagement Officer, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-23
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Tracy Barnes
“I lost my job as a cook straight away. Since then I've been able to do heaps more work in the garden. We make our own bread, and wine, and now we are experimenting with making stuff that we didn’t have time for before. If we could perhaps not rush back into resuming where we left off that would be fantastic. We have reset back to things that are a little more basic, like human interaction. We don't need a lot of external, materialistic things. This pandemic has shown that we can shut the world down if we need to, which in regards to climate change, was apparently a thing that was too hard. This situation has totally reaffirmed the importance of gardening and self-sufficiency. We have been able to provide for others around us. We have a chance to take a breath in history. Hopefully it can be a turning point that where we were going isn’t the way we had to go and we can look back and say ‘Wow, we actually changed the direction we were heading’”. Instagram post on Tracy Barnes, cook & gardener, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-18
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Josh Burns
“As a politician, I’m used to spending my days being out in the community, interacting with people and groups. We politicians are extroverts, we like having people around us! All that’s stopped and that’s the biggest change. I used to travel a lot - to Canberra and other places - never being at home enough. Now I’m home all the time. It’s great but it’s much more difficult to connect with people. I’m finding that there are waves in terms of how I’ve been called on to help people. At first it was offering support to the thousands of people who lost their jobs and were queuing outside Centrelink. Then it was helping people who found themselves stranded overseas. Now it’s about assisting individuals and businesses in accessing grants. The financial strain is immense, but it’s also about people’s sense of self worth. The mental health issues are huge. With so much hardship and such dramatic changes, my work is harder but it’s also meaningful. What’s next? How do we unlock the next chapter? There are so many approaches about what we should be doing at this moment. We need a clear government strategy for now before we can work out next steps. But we have to keep going.” Instagram post on Josh Burns, a politician, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-16
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Hana Assafiri
“At this time of social distancing, I’m looking to create social harmony. That’s what we have always been about. We closed the bar a few weeks before we were told to because, based on what we were seeing and hearing, I believed we were putting our workers in harm’s way. We tried take-away but I wasn’t convinced that was safe. Looking for how we could continue to empower our women through work, while also making a contribution to the community and social justice, we launched into providing meals for frontline health care workers through a pay-it-forward scheme. In some countries they applaud their health care workers, in other countries they sing for them. In Melbourne, it’s all about the food, so it makes sense we feed them! Everything is cause and effect. This pandemic didn’t just ‘happen’, nor was it dropped on us by aliens. It is a consequence of how we live in the world, our disregard for animals and the environment. We must take heed of what got us here and change the conversation, rather than just thinking we are going to ‘snap back’. Our behaviours and attachments came to an abrupt halt. I’m already seeing a change in attitudes. It’s about harnessing this and taking this opportunity to reset our values and activate our citizenship to work towards a more harmonious society. Almost all of those doing the thinking and leading are men. Women know how to heal with heart and compassion. We need to respect that contribution, not take it for granted.” Instagram post on Hanna, owner & manager of Moroccan Soup Bar, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-16
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Clementine Ford
“Like a lot of people, I began isolation in quite a heightened state of anxiety, wary of how long this might go on for. Initially it was difficult, but I’m adjusting to this slower pace of life. I have been indulging in things that have traditionally been seen as frivolous, especially when women do them, but are actually deeply enjoyable: cooking, baking, playing with my hair, creating new makeup looks. When my son was in childcare, I was regretting all the time that I wasn’t spending with him. I could foresee a moment in the future when I would look back and think I missed out. At least now I have all this time, with memories I otherwise wouldn't have had. Women are on the front line at the moment: nurses, health care workers, child care workers, teachers. Interestingly, this has really exposed exactly who the essential workers are in our society. They’re not the CEOS, but the women out there who are taking care of their communities. What has become transparently obvious from this pandemic is that the only thing holding us back from significant social change is political and social will power. We are highly malleable and adaptable as a species. We have the choice to build the kind of society that we want to live in. It's just about whether we want to do it.” Instagram post on Clementine Ford, writer & host of the Big Sister Hotline podcast, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-22
Jan Fran- Text From Facebook Post
I have included Jan Fran’s name in this only because the facebook post was public and she is an established political commentator, but I was somewhat anxious about publishing her words in this way. When I first saw this facebook post it honestly probably took me about a week to get over my sheer rage at the amount of money Jeff Bezos has personally made profiting from the pandemic, which wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for that fact that his personal wealth is so staggeringly incomprehensible already. I read the other day that he has pledged a billion dollars to charities in the wake of coronavirus, which is just under a third of his personal wealth. How is it that one man can accept brownie points for donating a billion dollars in a context when he can justify keeping nearly two billion dollars in personal wealth while income inequality is a driving force in the deaths of over a hundred thousand people in his own country alone. How can anyone can claim to have ‘earned’ or ‘deserve’ such a staggering amount of money in a world rocked by a global pandemic is just so incomprehensible. Jan’s point about this false trade-off between the health of the economy and safety, which is made on so many levels above and beyond public health in a pandemic (because funding free education is bad for the economy rather than billionaires) is so striking, and I can only hope there are enough people who are more disgusted with the two billion dollars Jeff Bezos decided to keep than there are wanting to pat him on the back for donating the one billion. -
04/13/2020
Racism and Covid-19
This image was a part of a Facebook post. It is evidently racist and indicates an underlying suspicion of the ‘Chinese’ community which has arisen out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Discussion of the cause of the Covid-19 outbreak, particularly regarding its supposed origins in a wet market, has contributed to a growth in anti-Chinese sentiment and ethnocentric thought in Tasmania. The image depicts a toy bat on a plate, with the caption describing it as a ‘Chinese meal’. This refers to the belief that bats are commonly eaten in China and that such practices caused the Covid-19 outbreak. The last line of the post is also evidently racist, with the name ‘Sum Ting Wong’ often being derogatively used by racist individuals to refer to Chinese and other ‘Asian’ people in Australia. It must be noted, however, that not all Tasmanians believe such horrid tropes. I immediately was horrified when I saw this post, and others I have showed it to have reacted in disgust. Nevertheless, it sadly still represents a faction of the community who have reacted to Covid-19 with suspicion and racism. From my personal experience, I feel as though this racism has reduced to some degree in the community, as the virus has spread throughout the world and beyond China. -
2020-03-29
Pandemic Monopoly
HUM402 The image depicts the creation of Pandemic Monopoly by a Hobart resident. The homemade board game uses toilet paper as currency, referring to the toilet paper shortage seen across Tasmanian supermarkets. The board game presents players with the opportunity to 'own' key Hobart locations. However, instead of mortgage, houses and hotels, the game allows players to buy hospitals and clinics to place on the properties. Centrelink, the Australian governments social security service, features heavily on the board game, indicating the rise in unemployment due to the pandemic. Whilst being used for comical purposes, the game also critiques the Tasmanian governments early handling of Covid-19 crisis via a chance card, which states "You have a fever, dry cough and Pneumonia to boot but despite having all of the symptoms, you haven't knowingly come into contact with a known carried so they won't test you for Covid-19. The Royal Hobart Hospital sends you home. Get out of iso [isolation] free." This refers to the Tasmanian government in early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic refusing to test individuals who had not been in contact with a known case, or had not left the country. -
2020-07-05
Reverse Culture Shock and Relaxing Restrictions
HUM402 This article discusses reverse culture shock and the likelihood that many Australians will experience this as restrictions are gradually relaxed. I feel this article will resonate with many people worldwide, and also clearly highlights the turbulence of emotions felt during this period of COVID-19. -
2020-04-20
Protect the Elderly not the 1%
This graffiti went up in April inext to the Prahran Market, Stonnington, one of the areas in Melbourne with the highest count of Covid cases, which is also very affluent. The reference may refer to the poor compliance to lock down procedures in this wealthier area, with many residents of the suburb attending the market and not adhering to social distancing rules. I took this image after visiting the supermarket next door to the market for essentials. I was distressed by the number of people socialising at the market and not complying with social distancing measures, and came across this graffiti immediately after. It struck me as particularly relevant. -
2020-04-20
Protect the Elderly not the 1%
This graffiti went up in April inext to the Prahran Market, Stonnington, one of the areas in Melbourne with the highest count of Covid cases, which is also very affluent. The reference may refer to the poor compliance to lock down procedures in this wealthier area, with many residents of the suburb attending the market and not adhering to social distancing rules. I took this image after visiting the supermarket next door to the market for essentials. I was distressed by the number of people socialising at the market and not complying with social distancing measures, and came across this graffiti immediately after. It struck me as particularly relevant. -
2020-03-25
COVID-19 Alarming Times
A piece of prose that highlights global opinions and assertions that were made in March of 2020. The author notes the state of Australian citizens and how people in general there, and worldwide, are being affected, either in a positive manner, negative manner or somewhere in between those two extremes . (Added by curator)