Australia / Israel Review

It is shocking to contemplate the fact that I have now edited the Australia/Israel Review (AIR) for well over a quarter of century – more than half its long and storied existence. Since I first took the helm in October 1999, I have compiled, edited and overseen the layout and design of more than 300 different editions. 

It has always been challenging, and often maddening, and stressful, and chaotic – but certainly an achievement of which to be proud. Not mainly because of the sheer volume of words, pictures and ideas we brought together, but because of the significant role that the AIR has played in Australian politics and national life for the past five decades.

The first edition of AIR that the author edited – October 1999

I have also had the privilege to oversee major developments in the quality of the AIR. We evolved from 28 pages in 1999 to 32 in 2000 to the present 40 in 2005; went from a black and white publication with a colour cover in 1999 to full colour throughout in 2012; and overhauled the magazine’s design and layout to the version you see today in a series of steps beginning in 2006. 

Our digital footprint also evolved enormously. Our web presence was minimal in 1999, social media did not exist, and print was king. Today, our online presence, our social media exposure and our digital distribution are the primary ways to reach most of our audience – and far more quickly than print could possibly achieve. Our impact is undoubtedly much greater as a result – but the process involved some steep learning curves. 

Since I took the helm, the Review has provided analysis, argument, opinions and background throughout the terms of the Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison and Albanese governments. We have provided insight from experts and pundits on the political considerations and strategic thinking of Israeli governments led by Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid and, repeatedly, Binyamin Netanyahu. We’ve also done the same for various administrations in Washington – Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, Trump, Biden and soon, Trump again. 

We’ve covered staggering numbers of major stories over that time – some we broke, some to which we brought unique analysis and expertise, and some on which we had a major impact through our advocacy and arguments. See the retrospective opposite for just a few examples. 

Yet, today, none of them seem as important as the last 15 months: Israel being forced to fight Hamas, along with Hezbollah and the whole Iranian-led “ring of fire”, in a war unlike any ever fought before; Australian and global Jewish communities struck by a surge in antisemitism that far exceeded anything ever seen in my career; the worst crisis in Australia-Israel relations since the AIR was founded in 1975. It amounts collectively to the story of a lifetime. 

It is no secret that the AIR has never been simply a magazine that reports and informs – though I certainly hope we have done that – but has also sought to convince, empower and accomplish positive change. Those are all goals to be proud of – which today seem more urgent than ever. 

Tzvi Fleischer – lowly AIR researcher – in the mid-1990s

Of course, everything we accomplished over the last 25 years was constructed on a foundation built by my predecessors – first and foremost our founder Sam Lipski, who shows why he remains such a legend of Australian journalism in the pages opposite. But gratitude must also be extended to the ebullient Michael Danby; Michael Kapel, who greatly strengthened the AIR’s national reputation with his knack for deep investigatory work; and the always professional Adam Indikt. I learned a great deal from each of them – and from dozens of dedicated, smart and highly skilled men and women with whom I have had the privilege of working over the past quarter-century.

None, of course, shaped the AIR over the years more than our indefatigable and always-focused Editorial Chairman, Colin Rubenstein, who was on the scene when I first joined the organisation as a lowly researcher in 1992, and continues to share all his experience and accumulated wisdom. 

Fifty years of the AIR is certainly an occasion for celebration – but also for reflection. We have sought to provide information, ideas and debate in ways that are fundamentally Australian, fundamentally Jewish and intended to impact our world for the better. In the future, how we do things is inevitably going to change, but as the past 15 months – and especially the past two weeks – have shown, doing them now seems more important than ever. I don’t expect to be here in another 50 years. But looking back over the last 25, I greatly hope some version of the AIR will still be around in 2075 – in whatever form it then takes.