Show Notes
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses the Middle East conflict, including war, violence, and humanitarian issues, which may be distressing to some listeners.
In this episode, my guest, Lynda Ben-Menashe, shares her journey of building bridges across communities, faiths, and histories. As President of the National Council of Jewish Women Australia, and with decades of work as an educator, writer, and public diplomat, Lynda brings a deep belief in the power of connection and dialogue. Her mission is rooted in innovation — finding new ways to build social capital, strengthen empathy, and foster understanding between the Jewish community and the wider world. She opens up about why memory matters, how relationships shape justice, and what it truly means to repair the world through action, compassion, and courage.
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My captivating guest is Linda Margolin Royal, bestselling author and award-winning novel The Star on the Grave. This book began as a screenplay and is now being developed for television. As an adult, Linda discovered that her family survived the Holocaust due to diplomat Chiune Sugihara - the Japanese Oskar Shindler. This discovery changed the course of her work, her writing, and shaped her experience of being Jewish in Australia. Linda shares the challenges of promoting a Jewish story during October 7, and why she remains determined to continue telling stories.
Co-founder and CEO of Allies for a Strong Australia, Mark Leach returns to The Actual. Allies for a Strong Australia is a movement focused on the deep social and cultural fractures in society - where antisemitism is one symptom of this.
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In this episode of The Actual, Yoash Dvir, CEO of Technion Australia, describes