Latest news with #OhadKozminsky
The Age
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Not glorifying war, but exposing its horrors
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. ANZAC DAY It seems Ohad Kozminsky (″ Pro-Palestine group urges: teach Anzac atrocities ″, 25/4) may never have experienced an Anzac Day ceremony, attended a school that discusses the historical struggles of Australian soldiers, or spoken with a digger. I've attended – and performed at – many such ceremonies, and I can assure him Anzac Day does not ″glorify war″. It is a day that seeks to expose the horrors of war: lawless chaos, senseless slaughter and the endless suffering it causes. That's why we say ″never forget″. Atrocities are committed in every war, including those currently ravaging the Middle East and Eastern Europe. This harsh reality does not diminish the courage of those who fight with honour, nor the truth that their sacrifices have secured the freedoms we enjoy, such as the right to vote and live in a multicultural society. Anzac Day is not about blind nationalism or rewriting history. To claim otherwise is to reduce a complex day of remembrance to a simplistic, distorted caricature and to impose a divisive ideology on a day meant to unite. It is a time to honour sacrifice, recognise suffering and reflect – not with guilt, but with humility and pride. Simon Tedeschi, Newtown, NSW Ignorance and bigotry never goes away The booing at the Anzac Day dawn service by those allegedly associated with neo-Nazi groups has been rightly condemned (″ Neo-Nazi arrested as 'frankly disgraceful' stunts mar Anzac Day dawn services ″, 25/4). That Nazi scourge against which we fought had at its heart in the past: racial loathing, a sensed superiority and ultimately systematic state-sanctioned murder, and it is clear its ignorant and bigoted ways still have a potential to raise its head. This might be a salutary time to reflect more broadly on the mostly male predilection toward mindlessness and violence in so many areas: towards women, refugees, indigenous populations, children, the disadvantaged, difference, fact-based decisions et al. And, when choosing a new government have in mind issues that don't just start and end with mammon. Graeme Foley, Werribee Giving protesters what they crave What a shame the ABC chose to repeatedly highlight in its news coverage the abhorrent behaviour of a few at the Melbourne dawn service. By doing so, not only was the reverence of the day diminished but those who disrupted the service got exactly what they sought – publicity. Mandy Bridges, Barwon Heads Is this how we behave? I hope no politician will declare the booing at the welcome to country ceremony at the Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne yesterday was 'un-Australian'. Unfortunately, it is Australian. All the people who voted against the Voice were Australian. Sandra Crockett, New Gisborne Anzac Day bias on show Having attended the dawn service and listening afterwards to the ABC commentary on the so-called disruption during the opening address by an Indigenous leader, I am compelled to comment. As with everything, there are always two sides to a story. Keeping to its long-continued bias, the ABC chose only one side. The large screen beside us, from 5.25am heralded the commencement of the service. At 5.32am, the invited Indigenous speaker commenced his address, telling us his mother was from one region, his father from another, then tributes to other tribal areas, far and wide. Not once throughout the whole address, which lasted several minutes, was the reason why we were assembled mentioned, to honour the memories of those who had fought and fallen in the defence of our wonderful country. It would be difficult to encounter a more divisive speech than the one delivered at the Shrine this Anzac morning. There was raucous shouting from a group within the crowd, but also, in my opinion, there was a totally inappropriate address at the commencement of the service. A brief acknowledgement of Native title is apt. A political diatribe is not. Henry Glennie, Melbourne Realistic curriculum It is appropriate that a teaching resource 'Challenging Anzac Day' is being developed to challenge the glorification of war which is often associated with Anzac day (″Pro-Palestine group urges: teach Anzac atrocities″, 25/4). If people were provided with the truth of the horrors of conflicts, particularly the effects on innocent civilians, they may have second thoughts about engaging in wars. In relation to Palestine today, much of the western world is silent in the face of the Israeli atrocities currently being inflicted on children, women, health workers and others. This is not the way towards world peace. A more factual and unbiased analysis of conflicts is essential to prevent the perpetration of war atrocities. The teaching of a more realistic curriculum in relation to Anzac Day could be a good start. Leigh Ackland, Deepdene Apt history lesson My great-uncle was wounded at Gallipoli and I have always admired the exceptional courage of Australian soldiers, but the 1918 massacre of Palestinians at Sarafand by the Light Horse, followed by the burning of villages in Egypt, highlights a tendency towards mindless support for racist imperialism. As historian Peter Stanley comments, the Light Horse was 'used as part of an imperial military force' (25/4). The emphasis should be on 'used' – the Light Horse were mostly poorly educated country boys who believed they were off to have a jolly stoush and be home by Christmas. It's important to educate ourselves about this history because discredited empires in decline have a habit of using brave soldiers in their front lines. Caroline Graham, Cromer, NSW
The Age
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Pro-Palestine group sends teachers classroom guide challenging ‘Anzac mythology'
Teachers are being urged to draw attention to Australian soldiers' violence in the Middle East ahead of Anzac Day by a pro-Palestine activist group 'frustrated by resources that gloss over historical evidence to glorify war'. Teachers and School Staff for Palestine Victoria has developed and distributed a new teaching resource – called 'Challenging Anzac Day' – to thousands of teachers nationwide, encouraging them to share with students details of Australian troops' role in the Middle East during the First World War. The lesson guide urges teachers to tell children that members of an Australian Light Horse brigade raided and patrolled hundreds of villages, killing up to 137 civilians at Sarafand al-'Amar – also known as Surafend – in what was then Palestine. 'The brutal massacre committed by the ANZACs at Sarafand al-'Amar chillingly portended the Nakba, the catastrophic displacement of Palestinians in 1947-1949,' the resource says. Loading The Surafend incident, as it became known, was examined in recent years as part of the Australian Defence Force's Brereton report, which found there was a reluctance among military command at the time to hold Australian forces to account for breaching prohibitions against killing civilians. The pro-Palestine group's resource also encourages teachers to tell students that Australian troops burned a village of 170 dwellings south of Cairo in 1919 and 'arrested and flogged up to 250 seditious agitators'. A spokesperson for the group, teacher Ohad Kozminsky, said the publication's goal was to 'challenge the dominant and irresponsible Anzac mythology'. 'We are frustrated by resources that gloss over historical evidence to glorify war and close off critical discussion of Australia's role in violence and imperialism. Our students deserve better,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Pro-Palestine educators send teachers new classroom resource challenging ‘Anzac mythology'
Teachers are being urged to draw attention to Australian soldiers' violence in the Middle East ahead of Anzac Day by a pro-Palestine educators' group 'frustrated by resources that gloss over historical evidence to glorify war'. Teachers and School Staff for Palestine Victoria have developed and distributed a new teaching resource – called 'Challenging Anzac Day' – to thousands of teachers nationwide, encouraging them to share with students details of Australian troops' role in the Middle East during the First World War. The lesson guide urges teachers to tell children that members of an Australian Light Horse brigade raided and patrolled hundreds of villages, killing up to 137 civilians at Sarafand al-'Amar – also known as Surafend – in what was then Palestine. 'The brutal massacre committed by the ANZACs at Sarafand al-'Amar chillingly portended the Nakba, the catastrophic displacement of Palestinians in 1947-1949,' the resource says. The Surafend incident, as it became known, was examined in recent years as part of the Australian Defence Force's Brereton report, which found there was a reluctance among military command at the time to hold Australian forces to account for breaching prohibitions against killing civilians. The pro-Palestine group's resource also encourages teachers to tell students that Australian troops burned a village of 170 dwellings south of Cairo in 1919, and 'arrested and flogged up to 250 seditious agitators'. A spokesperson for the group, teacher Ohad Kozminsky, said the publication's goal was to 'challenge the dominant and irresponsible Anzac mythology'. 'We are frustrated by resources that gloss over historical evidence to glorify war and close off critical discussion of Australia's role in violence and imperialism. Our students deserve better,' he said. The Education Department said it did not endorse the group's publication.
The Age
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Pro-Palestine educators send teachers new classroom resource challenging ‘Anzac mythology'
Teachers are being urged to draw attention to Australian soldiers' violence in the Middle East ahead of Anzac Day by a pro-Palestine educators' group 'frustrated by resources that gloss over historical evidence to glorify war'. Teachers and School Staff for Palestine Victoria have developed and distributed a new teaching resource – called 'Challenging Anzac Day' – to thousands of teachers nationwide, encouraging them to share with students details of Australian troops' role in the Middle East during the First World War. The lesson guide urges teachers to tell children that members of an Australian Light Horse brigade raided and patrolled hundreds of villages, killing up to 137 civilians at Sarafand al-'Amar – also known as Surafend – in what was then Palestine. 'The brutal massacre committed by the ANZACs at Sarafand al-'Amar chillingly portended the Nakba, the catastrophic displacement of Palestinians in 1947-1949,' the resource says. The Surafend incident, as it became known, was examined by the Australian Defence Force in recent years as part of the Brereton report and found there was a reluctance among military command at the time to hold Australian forces to account for breaching prohibitions against killing civilians. The pro-Palestine group's resource also encourages teachers to tell students that Australian troops burned a village of 170 dwellings south of Cairo in 1919, and 'arrested and flogged up to 250 seditious agitators'. A spokesperson for the group, teacher Ohad Kozminsky, said the publication's goal was to 'challenge the dominant and irresponsible Anzac mythology'. 'We are frustrated by resources that gloss over historical evidence to glorify war and close off critical discussion of Australia's role in violence and imperialism. Our students deserve better,' he said. The Education Department said it did not endorse the group's publication.
