Age editor-in-chief Paul Ramadge (centre), with ZCV president Dr Danny Lamm (left) and JCCV president John Searle. Photo: ZCV/JCCV

NAOMI LEVIN

THERE were no shy silences when The Age’s editor-in-chief, Paul Ramadge, asked for questions following his speech to Melbourne’s Jewish community last week.

Around 200 people packed Beth Weizmann on October 6 for the speech, which Ramadge aptly called “dialogue”.

The evening ran over time as the audience made comments and fired questions at the editor.

Ramadge has been editor-in-chief for a year, since Andrew Jaspan left. During that time, he has been criticised by both Jewish community leaders and Jewish members of the public for the paper’s reportage of Israel and Jewish community issues.

Ramadge began his speech by expressing wishes of chag sameach for Succot, before remarking, “I do not want to pretend to understand the Jewish narrative as well as you do.”
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JOHNNY BAKER

FORMER Prime Minster Malcolm Fraser’s call for the Australian Government to engage with Hamas in an article titled The isolation of Hamas is impeding peace (The Age, August 11, 2009) is as misguided as it is misleading.

Misguided, because it would lead to a strengthening of extremists over moderates and misleading, because it distorts the stated policies of numerous parties.
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