This is the Forward’s coverage of Jewish life in Australia.
Australia
The Latest
-
Fast Forward Former Jewish Leader in Sydney Charged With Sexually Assaulting Four Men
A former Jewish leader from Sydney will appear in court next month on charges of sexually assaulting four men. David Bitel, 60, a ex-member of the executive of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies and a prominent attorney, was arrested last week and charged with seven offenses, including rape and indecent assault on…
-
Fast Forward Extradited Jewish Teacher Heckled in Aussie Court
A Jewish school teacher accused of child sex abuse was heckled in an Australian court by a victims advocate after being extradited from the U.S. David Kramer, 52, looked stunned when alleged child sexual abuse victim Manny Waks stood up and shouted at him. “Welcome back to Australia Rabbi Kramer,” Waks called out, according to…
-
Fast Forward Jewish Teacher Sent to Face Aussie Sex Charges
An American Jew was extradited to Australia and charged with multiple counts of indecent assault and indecent acts with a minor at an Orthodox Jewish school. David Kramer was surrendered by U.S. authorities on Nov. 29 and extradited to Melbourne, where he is accused of sexually abusing children at Yeshivah College between 1989 and 1992…
-
News New Child Sex Scandal Erupts in Australia
Another major Jewish organization in Australia is embroiled in a child sex abuse scandal, adding to the trauma triggered by recent revelations of similar cases involving students at two schools in Melbourne, run by Chabad and Adass Israel, respectively. Because of a suppression order issued by an Australian court, the name of the organization, the…
-
Fast Forward Australia Plans Wide Probe of ‘Vile’ Child Sex Abuse
The announcement by Australia’s Prime Minister of a royal commission into the “vile and evil” scourge of child sex abuse has reignited the controversial issue inside the Jewish community. Julia Gillard announced Monday that the inquiry would include children under the care of all religious organizations and that it would focus on the response of…
-
Fast Forward Gay Aussie School Principal Sues Over Firing
One of Australia’s largest Jewish schools is being sued by a former principal who claims he was the victim of unfair dismissal. Documents filed in Federal Court allege Joseph Gerassi’s dismissal last year from Bialik College in Melbourne was in breach of the Fair Work Act. He is suing the school for millions of dollars…
-
Fast Forward 99-Year-Old Australian Marks Bar Mitzvah
A 99-year-old man living in Australia celebrated his bar mitzvah. Isaac Volinsky joined a group of about 40 Jews from the former Soviet Union at a Chabad house near Sydney’s Bondi Beach for the first time last week. When Rabbi Eli Schlanger discovered that Volinsky had never been to the weekly “120 Club” for elderly…
-
Fast Forward Accused Jewish School Abuser Faces Extradition
A judge in the United States has cleared the way for the extradition to Australia of a man wanted in connection with alleged child sex abuse at a Jewish school. David Kramer, 51, a dual Israeli-American national, is accused of sexually abusing pupils at the Yeshivah College in Melbourne between 1989 and 1993. A judge…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward DNC finding: Biden’s Israel backing cost Harris votes for president
- 2
Antisemitism Decoded After Minneapolis, a YouTuber comes for Jewish ‘welfare queens’
- 3
News Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled crown prince, has a plan for his people’s future — if they’ll have him
- 4
News What We Know About Jeffrey Epstein’s Childhood
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward What happened during the 2025 Israel-Iran war? A timeline.
-
Fast Forward Sirens, shelters and an empty Old City: Jerusalem rattled on the first day of war with Iran
-
Fast Forward Israel says Iranian supreme leader Khamenei killed during strikes on Tehran
-
News Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled crown prince, has a plan for his people’s future — if they’ll have him
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
