Forgive My Five-Day Silence--but I'm Busy Draining the Swamps

Mar 05, 2026

Readers Dear:

I am draining the swamps, so to speak, clearing out the Augean stables, which were, and still remain, a Herculean task.

Energized by the new and amazing British-based group Feminists Against Antisemitism, I am working on a new book that I've tentatively titled "The Complete and Utter Palestinianization and Stalinization of American Feminism." Only an insider can do this, especially someone who has not recanted her feminist ideals and has actually tried to live them for almost 60 years.

I cover the American reproductive-rights movement, the LGBT movements, the Goddess-worshipping/spiritual-healing movements, as well as the work of many Christian-liberation theologists. What more can I say about what has become of Women's Studies (WS)--well, whatever there is, I'm saying it, but not happily. In 1970, I was a pioneer of WS and am horrified, daily, by what the professoriate is writing, teaching, and saying. (And that's only when I can understand a word of what they write and say.) And then there are what currently pass for feminist organizations, feminist media, and faux-feminist activism. Yes, there is a strain of Black antisemitism running through all these feminist and faux-feminist movements, and I'll note it in passing, but the subject deserves a book of its own, perhaps many books.

For the first time, I am also sharing my own experiences of antizionism and antisemitism among the feminist "icons." It goes back to the early 1970s. There's that--plus their damned support for Khomeini's Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda. They were silent after 10/7, and silent they still remain. They and/or their students wear hijab or even niqab as anti-racist statements, even as the bravest of Iranian women are being shot down for daring to appear naked-faced and without head coverings. They and their students mount encampments for Gaza and against Israel and America.

Oh! If only Kafka were alive! Or Jonathan Swift! Or Arthur Koestler, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and in no particular order.

The punishment for speaking out about all this is not as grave as what happens when Muslim dissidents, ex-Muslims, Muslim women, and gays speak out. It provides a bracing and necessary perspective to the fates of feminists who speak out against the transgender cult or who still favor sex-based rights over and above identity-based rights--or who stand for universal human rights.

I hope to finish this work within six months--maybe sooner--or I will die trying, but I've no plans to do that. I am far too busy with other projects, all long underway.

I am copying here the latest invitation from Feminists Against Antisemitism. It's about an upcoming Zoom meeting with feminists in Australia, a settler colonial nation-state if ever there was one, a state whose citizens project their own white guilt onto Israel only.

Event Invitation: Antisemitism in Australia: A Conversation with Jewish Women on the Front Line

Featuring Zara Cooper (aka Clammy Fraud), Deborah Conway, Lynda Ben-Menashe and Julie Szego.

Feminists Against Antisemitism

Mar 5

Virtual Event on Zoom

GMT (UK): Thursday 26 Mar, 8:30 pm | AEST (Sydney): Friday 27 Mar, 7:30 am

Join us to hear from four inspirational Australian Jewish women who are navigating a rapidly escalating antisemitic reality. Australia may seem distant on the map, but what’s unfolding there is a warning for us all.

The Hanukkah attack at Bondi Beach was the deadliest terror attack in Australia’s history. Instead of uniting the country in grief, it exposed just how precarious Jewish belonging has become after months of intensifying antisemitism since October 7.

The ideas driving today’s conversations about Jews and Israel were, in part, shaped in Australia. Modern “settler colonial” theory, now deployed worldwide to cast Israel as uniquely illegitimate, was refined by scholars working in and from Australia before spreading into universities, media, and activist spaces across the globe.

And decades of migration from regions where antisemitic narratives are widespread mean that imported ideas now merge with local activism, academic frameworks, and social media ecosystems.

Our upcoming panel will dig into all of this: what changed after October 7 and after Bondi, why Australia has become a microcosm of global tensions facing Jews today, and why it’s one of the clearest places to understand how antisemitism is evolving worldwide.

Learn with us about:

• Why Australia is a flashpoint, and what recent public reactions reveal about attitudes to Jewish grief and safety.

• The origins of the “settler-colonial” claim and why its global deployment against Israel is rooted in Australian intellectual traditions.

• The impact of the Hannukah attack on Jewish women and how antisemitism is playing out across feminist, cultural, and academic spaces.

• Strategies and practical actions feminists can use to challenge antisemitism and support Jewish women.

This conversation is essential for anyone committed to feminism and the safety and dignity of Jewish women in Australia today.

All ticketholders will receive a complimentary discount code for Ruptured, a powerful anthology documenting the experiences of 36 Jewish women in Australia post October 7 — including contributions from two of our panelists.

Featuring:

Zara Cooper, Online Safety Advocate: Zara Cooper is a passionate online safety advocate whose work is informed by her own lived experience as a target of online abuse following October 7. This experience led her to uncover the lack of protections in the online space, with her now dedicating her time to advocating for stronger safeguards for individuals online. She is a leading voice in Australia on digital accountability and the real-world impact of online harms.

Deborah Conway AM, Musician, Writer & Cultural Figure: One of Australia’s most acclaimed musicians for over four decades, Deborah Conway brings a vital cultural voice to the post–October 7 landscape. She has spoken publicly about the dramatic shift for Jewish women in Australian artistic and civic life, including after a recent trip to Israel where she volunteered, performed, and bore witness to the atrocities of October 7. Since speaking out, Conway has faced cancellations, security concerns at appearances, and interviews that were pulled – an emblematic case of how antisemitism is enforced through cultural exclusion. She was also doxxed amid the mass exposure of around 600 Jewish artists, becoming a prominent example of the risks faced by Jewish women in public life.

Lynda Ben-Menashe, President, National Council of Jewish Women of Australia: Lynda Ben Menashe is a national leader articulating how rising antisemitism is reshaping everyday life for Jewish women. As NCJWA President, she has driven advocacy that centres women’s safety and voice, while challenging the silence of mainstream feminist organisations over the atrocities committed against Israeli women on October 7 and the broader exclusion of Zionist Jewish women from progressive spaces. A regular media commentator, Ben Menashe appears across major outlets – ABC, SBS, The Australian, The Age and The Australian Jewish News—providing analysis, on the ground reporting and opinion on antisemitism, public policy and community resilience. Her leadership and public commentary make her a central voice in understanding the gendered dimensions of antisemitism in contemporary Australia.

Julie Szego, Journalist, Author & Cultural Commentator (moderator): Julie Szego is a veteran Australian journalist. A former Age journalist and columnist, her work has appeared in The Guardian, UnHerd and The Free Press. She is also the author of The Tainted Trial of Farah Jama, shortlisted for major Victorian and NSW literary awards Her work frequently examines identity politics, free expression and pressures on minority communities. Her commentary, which appears regularly in The Australian and on Substack, continues to shape national conversations, including recent analysis on accusations of “weaponising antisemitism” within public discourse.

GMT (UK): Thursday 26 Mar, 8:30 pm | AEST (Sydney): Friday 27 Mar, 7:30 am

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Feminists Against Antisemitism is building a community where women —Jewish and non Jewish — can speak openly, learn together, and push back against a tide of antisemitism that has gone unchallenged for far too long. If this resonates, please share this post, watch out for our events, join our Substack, and stay with us for the next conversations.

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