Ashamed to Admit
Are you ashamed to admit you're not across the big issues and events affecting Jews in Australia, Israel and around the Jewish world?
In this new podcast from online publication The Jewish Independent, Your Third Cousin Tami Sussman and TJI's Dashiel Lawrence tackle the week's 'Chewiest and Jewiest' topics.
Ashamed to Admit
Episode #9 Are you a 'Proud Jew'? With 'Design Down Under' power couple Georgia Ezra & Richie Morris
Are you a proud Jew? Has Australia’s response to October 7 stifled your cultural or religious expression? In this episode Dash and Tami chat to Georgia Ezra and Richie Morris; two high profile people with a television show in the US and a big social media following who have maintained a strong commitment to displaying their Judaism publicly. Plus, Dates vs Apples and DIY circumcisions.
Articles mentioned/adjacent to the ideas explored in this episode:
https://thejewishindependent.com.au/quake-devastated-morocco-accepts-aid-after-two-days-of-waiting
https://thejewishindependent.com.au/im-part-jewish-part-australian-and-part-indian-where-do-i-belong
Email your feedback, questions, show ideas etc: ashamed@thejewishindependent.com.au
(You can also email voice memos here).
Subscribe to The Jewish Independent's bi-weekly newsletter: jewishindependent.com.au
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I'm ashamed to admit that last week at 4.30, I arrived at Glicks to grab my challah for Shabbos and it was closed. But I waited until a staff that was leaving opened the door and pushed myself in and said I just want to grab the last challah, please. Shabbat.
Speaker 2:Shalom, I'll be very surprised if we don't get a call from Glicks by the end of the week. Are you ashamed to admit that? As hard as you may try, you're just not across all of the issues affecting Jews in Australia, the Middle East and the world at large. I'm Tammy Sussman and in this podcast series I ask the Jewish Independence Executive Director, dash Lawrence, all the ignorant questions that I, and maybe you are too embarrassed to ask.
Speaker 3:I'm Dash Lawrence and I'm going to attempt to answer most of Tammy's questions in the time that it takes you to drive your newborn around aimlessly at three o'clock in the morning to get them back to sleep. Sometimes I might have to bring in an expert and sometimes I might have a few questions of my own.
Speaker 2:But together, Dash and I are going to try and cut through the week's chewiest and jewiest topics.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the Jewish Independent Podcast Ashamed to Admit. Thank you for joining us. Episode 9, season 1 of Ashamed to Admit. I'm Dash Lawrence from the Jewish Independent.
Speaker 2:And I'm top rhinoplasty candidate, tammy Sussman, you're what. Rhinoplasty Nose job. I still have my original nose. The fact that you've even asked that just shows me that you still haven't read the article that I wrote for the Jewish Independent about the wild wild west of rhinoplasty in the noughties. It was a big thing and continues to be a hot topic. She did confirm that quite often the push does come from a parent, a mother sometimes can be the ones really propelling their child into action.
Speaker 3:So, Tammy, speaking of Jewish mothers, I happened to receive an email during the week from a Sussman that. I am hypothesising, is your mother.
Speaker 2:What makes you say that Dash?
Speaker 3:What's your mum's name?
Speaker 3:Louise, louise, yes it was Louise, Okay. Subject ashamed to admit, we have a petty crim in our lineage. Louise Sussman writes. However, while I don't condone theft in any shape or form, perhaps in the defence of far-removed cousin Edward Lakofsky, he may have stolen a bicycle to apply for the job of postman in downtown Broken Hill Don't know if Australia Post supplied a vehicle back in the early 1900s as a part of a salary package and then cousin Edward, obviously short of a quid, stole the cash from the envelopes in his charge to pay for the fine for stealing a bicycle. Just saying Embarrassed emoji. Kindest regards and love your podcast, Louise Thorsman.
Speaker 2:I actually think she's got a point.
Speaker 3:Except that I think that the crime of stealing from the envelopes didn't occur in Broken Hill. Oh, so that doesn't quite stack up. I believe that he was caught stealing having made a move down to Victoria. Okay, and that's why, you're the historian, Look it's a nice theory or way for your family to obfuscate the reality that your distant cousin, Edward, was charged not once but twice with theft not once, but twice.
Speaker 2:with theft Dash last week, I suggested that you, me and Marina go to Broken Hill for a seance to connect with my ancestors to break the bicycle curse that Edward Lukofsky started when he stole a bicycle, which is now there to me not really being able to ride one. We could visit the sites of your first journalism gig. Yeah, and you know you're a busy guy, you're a big dog at the Jewish Independence. So I went ahead and I facilitated a job interview with Marina to see if she's the right person for the job to come with us. So if you'd like to go to our shared folder, you'll be able to play Marina's interview now.
Speaker 5:You've held this back from me all week I wanted it to be fresh I want to see the jews of broken hill I mean there are none left.
Speaker 2:You want to see the ghosts of the jews of broken hill? Yeah, like the farming jews on the topic of ghosts of broken hill. Have you ever facilitated a seance before?
Speaker 3:I haven't facilitated anything, let alone a seance but I'm sure it's happened in this room.
Speaker 5:You could figure it out, Especially with your relatives and their boring crimes. I feel like It'd be quite easy I could be like Leo did you leave that butter shop open an hour later and sell butter to that lady?
Speaker 2:I could do that. Okay, cool cool.
Speaker 1:I know you did.
Speaker 2:I mean, we've got proof. Yeah, this is important. Do you speak Russian? I? Speak so much Russian okay, you were born in Russia. You were born there, am I, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 3:I was. I was born in Belgrade, which is the.
Speaker 5:Russian border so not even Ukraine or Odessa, where your relatives are from. I'm from Russia.
Speaker 2:Final question have you ever run a half marathon? No, Okay, you've got the job. Do I have to. No, definitely not. It's just that when we're there, dash is going to want to train, and so he'll go for runs and I. I can hear him.
Speaker 1:I have experience.
Speaker 3:That was very funny. I think she would absolutely be. She'd be perfect, and obviously she's a journalist and shares an interest in history and genealogy, so I feel like we could all get along quite well.
Speaker 2:Now, the last time I was in Broken Hill it was to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the synagogue. So I'm not sure if I've told you that my family, the Lukowskis, actually lived next door to the synagogue. So I'm not sure if I've told you that my family, the Lukowskis, actually lived next door to the synagogue. So when I was there, the locals were aware that there were a whole bunch of Jews coming from all over Australia. They were welcoming, as far as I know. I don't know what was said behind our backs, but they were lovely, warm people and I've been thinking that if that anniversary were to have taken place this year, I'm not sure I would have been so forthcoming with my identity.
Speaker 2:I feel like I've always been someone who has been quite keen to display my Jewish identity. However, post-october 7, my husband, yossi, despite his name, is not Israeli. He is Mexican-Turkish, very proud of his Jewish identity. But he thinks that I'm ashamed to admit that I'm a Jew. And I maintain that I'm not ashamed, I'm just protective. I've become more cautious. For instance, we just moved to an apartment and he wanted to put a mezuzah on the outside of our door to the entrance, the doorpost, and Amazuzza for our listeners who aren't Jewish is a little what you'd call it like a rectangular or cylindrical box that holds the Shema prayer. Now I'm getting like nervous and insecure that I've explained it wrong.
Speaker 3:Sounds right to me.
Speaker 2:Yeah to you, yeah, great.
Speaker 3:We've got one on the front of our house. Guess who put it there? You, no, you get one more guess. Guess who put it there? You, no, you get one more guess.
Speaker 2:Your wife, your in-laws, no, your child, a rabbi, julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Speaker 3:Almost who, the Chabad rabbi that also did the bris. Oh okay, he came around a few days after the ceremony to do the follow-up appointment and looked at the doorframe and just shook his head and then said before we look at the schmeckle, I need to get something from the car. He went and got a box of scissors and sized it up and decided which one he was going to put and why and where.
Speaker 2:Oh good. So your Moyle is a handyman and let's just hope that he's not using the same utensils for his handyman job as he is for the slicing of the foreskin. Anyway, back to my story. We moved home. That's fine. We moved home and, yeah, yossi wanted a mezuzah on the outside of the door and I felt uncomfortable with that. He's like you know, you should be really proud of your Judaism and I'm like I am with that. He's like you know you should be really proud of your Judaism and I'm like I am. But chances are we are going to be that annoying, loud family. We have a very barky, neurotic toy poodle, our kids are noisy, yossi plays darbuka, he plays Middle Eastern drums and I'm like I don't want to be. I don't want our neighbours to hate us for being that noisy Jewish family upstairs. I just want them to hate us for being that noisy family.
Speaker 3:Did the mezuzah ever get put up?
Speaker 2:Yeah, on the inside of the door.
Speaker 3:Okay, yep.
Speaker 2:So, with all that in mind, I really admire the high profile people in Australia who, since 7, haven't shied away from their Jewish identity, even the ones I don't exactly share the same politics with. So I really take my anxious bucket hat off to the content creators who've used their platforms to encourage their followers to be proud, to not let the anti-Jewish racism stifle the expression of their Jewish heritage, and who've used their platforms to highlight examples of that anti-Semitism so Dash. Later in the show we'll be speaking to Georgia Ezra and Richie Morris. Georgia was one of the first Instagram influencers and the second season of her and Richie's hit TV show, design Down Under, is about to be aired in the US. Georgia's paternal family are Mizrahi. Georgia has Iraqi, persian roots and her paternal family lived in India for some generations. I know that because when we were kids, georgia used to gloat about the fact that she could eat rice during Passover.
Speaker 3:And how is it that you know Georgia?
Speaker 2:We met when we were in primary school at drama classes. Dash something you should know about me, and this might surprise you I was a very shy child.
Speaker 3:I guess it makes sense in some ways.
Speaker 2:I had a lot of social anxiety.
Speaker 3:I still do, but now I cope by by saying things that shock people and outrage them.
Speaker 2:Back when I was a kid, I would just be too scared to go to birthday parties and I would hide underneath my mum's sweaters and skirts. So my mum said, okay, we'll send her to drama classes, and Georgia which will soon become clear to everyone just had so much extrovert energy that she needed to channel somewhere. So the two of us met at drama classes and became friends in high school.
Speaker 3:We wanted to talk with Georgia and Richie because here are two high-profile people with a television show in the US and big social media followings who have maintained a strong commitment to honouring their identity and displaying their Judaism publicly for many years, but even throughout the last few months, in the face of a rise of antisemitism internationally and here in Australia. So we wanted to get them onto the program to talk a little bit about that experience and how they are trying to navigate their way through the world in this post-October 7 climate.
Speaker 4:But we started the conversation on a bit of a brighter note, talking about season two of the TV show Design Down Under so design down under is a husband and wife duo renovation show whereby richie is the builder, I am the interior architect and designer and we change the lives of our clients through renovating their homes. In season one there were six episodes. In season two there were eight. That means 14 homes in total in the last year, which has been not an easy feat. The show follows us throughout Victoria. Really. We renovate homes all over the state, from Janjak to St Kilda to Box Hill, to Montrose to Mentone. We really see all sides of the state, which is really a beautiful part of it, showing Melbourne in its humble beauty and showing the lives of all these different clients who have different ethnicities, backgrounds, wants, needs, budgets, aesthetic briefs and also a little bit of an insertion of our own family and personal life gets sort of brought in and flows throughout the episodes, so people really get to know a bit more about us.
Speaker 2:Richie, how long have the two of you been married?
Speaker 5:We are coming up to 10 years. Did you know we're coming up to 10 years this December of marriage?
Speaker 2:Wow, 10 years of pure marital bliss.
Speaker 5:Listen, working together and actually doing this TV show has definitely challenged us.
Speaker 4:There's. You know work stresses all the time, but truly he is my best friend, so couldn't do it without him.
Speaker 2:And Richie, you're Melbourne, born and bred right.
Speaker 5:Yes, melbourne born and bred.
Speaker 2:Whereas it should be noted that Georgia was born in Sydney Our listeners can probably tell because of her Sydney accent but then she abandoned us for Melbourne where she could actually afford to buy a property and do what she loves to do, and that's how she found Richie, a true Jewish unicorn. I'm aware you had to do quite a bit of promo for the show and I noticed that you were in People magazine and Georgia is that a Mug, and David I see you wearing in that bit of promo.
Speaker 4:It sure is. I think there was not a day of filming that I wasn't wearing either a Mug and David or my Yaffa necklace, because Yaffa is your Hebrew name.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, we used to call you that sometimes to annoy you as kids, but so that was a very conscious decision then, when you were filming and doing promo, to wear your Magen David or something symbolic of your Jewish heritage.
Speaker 4:I definitely made a very conscious decision to ensure that every day of filming I was wearing something and I'm not afraid to tell people where I come from and my heritage and my religion. In fact, I want people to know that and I think in the last three years our community has endured a lot, has been subjected to a lot. Really, to say it broadly, and it was just my little way of saying this is me, this is who I am, and every Jew watching I'm here and I'm unapologetically Jewish and I want people to know.
Speaker 5:And there's actually an episode in the first season where we bring him back to our house and it's my son, it's our family. I've got my kippah on, our son's got his kippah on and we're doing a blessing over the wine and the challah and it's basically showing. This is what we do on a Friday night we celebrate Shabbat and yeah, it was a 20, 25 second little scene and both Georgia and I said to the producers we want to ensure that this makes the cut and it did, and that was in season one that predaired the 7th of October.
Speaker 4:It did, but it was subsequent to what had gone on in 2021. So there was like humming. It was like, you know, we hadn't seen that influx of hate and vitriol online and that wave that just shook everyone to the core. It was like so new and everyone was so lost and angry and trying to justify and that was something that was very new to all of us, I think.
Speaker 5:But to be honest with you, this is what we do. We're Jewish. Georgia is extremely proud and loud about it. So if you're going to make a TV show and it's about our lives, then you've got to capture it and we're not going to hide it. I was a little bit more skeptical. My hesitation was, obviously, I didn't go to a Jewish school. There were a lot of Jews at my school, but I did experience some levels of anti-Semitism. When it came to the TV show, I just didn't want anyone to judge and I didn't want anyone to go was I just didn't want anyone to judge and I didn't want anyone to go? Well, I ain't going to watch these guys on TV because they're Jewish and I didn't want to put anyone else under an uncomfortable circumstance. Being producers in the network, we had this good opportunity of a TV show about our lives and I was like I don't want this to stand in its way. That's me. Georgia was just like mate, no chance, non-negotiable, it's going in. I ain't hiding nothing.
Speaker 2:How did you then make the shift? Was it just because Georgia grabbed you by the balls? Or did she help you to say, like, actually there's nothing to be ashamed of and you should be proud?
Speaker 5:Yeah, it's not so much grabbing me by the balls, but she has definitely had to lead me with my Judaism in the last 15 years. We've been together for 15 years, married for 10, but she has definitely led the way with the Judaism in our house and my own journey of Judaism. But I think it is definitely Georgia who's made me a prouder Jew.
Speaker 3:I'm aware that you have a number of social media accounts with quite big followings. It's a core part of your business and your brand in effect, right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I guess the following that I've built up and I'll talk about maybe just the Georgia Ezra Instagram account, like it's not a Jewish following, it's a following of people who enjoy interior design and like to see behind the scenes of our life and who align with maybe some of the things I talk about and enjoy cooking and a slow, beautiful, humble, authentic life. And you know that's my following authentic life and that's my following. And I do bring in my religion and my background and I weave it through in the way that I see fit. And there'll be days that I'm angry and I post what I want to post, but I certainly consider what I post deeply. Whenever I post anything about my religion, it's very much from my personal account.
Speaker 4:I've made a conscious decision to separate business and personal. You know my personal opinions. I have staff, I have manufacturers all over the globe, I have a network. I have lots of people that my personal opinions could affect. Like you know, I've got distribution partners. Like our opinions can affect their business. So there's a really blurry line there. But I've made sort of like the rule for myself that anything I feel personally comes from my personal account. If people do digging, they'll know. You know, they'll know how I feel, which in itself is a massive umbrella of feelings. But I would say, after October 7th, I think we all feel the same way. But I was very vocal on my socials. I was very vocal on my stories.
Speaker 2:In support of Israel.
Speaker 4:In support of Israel, of course. To answer your question straight, I was very vocal about it.
Speaker 2:Perhaps this was after what happened in 2021, but I recall you did repost some of the vitriol that people had DM'd you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so during that time I was trying to talk with as many people as I could and trying to get them to see the things that I felt and I think the truth here is that there's always many sides to a story, but I was trying to get everyone to see what I felt and my story and there was a lot of people sending me death threats. I had lots of messages and they enraged me Like I remember this. One time this woman was sending me these horrendous messages. I could not believe that. That came from someone's mouth to someone that they don't know, and I was, my whole body was shaking. I was so angry and that was like on a daily. I was suffocated by the whole thing. I remember, for there was a period of time where I, like Richie, would single-handedly get the kids ready in the morning because I was so engrossed at every point of minute I had in my life to watch and read and see articles, and I was it was, I was very obsessed with everything going on and that was very unhealthy.
Speaker 3:And that was even 2021. So not even the most recent. Arguably, you know much more intense, anxiety-provoking, hostile environment in which we find ourselves in now.
Speaker 5:I don't have a massive presence on social media. I had Twitter a few years ago. I only did one Twitter post in my whole career of Twittering and it was back when things were firing up. Previously, over in Israel, there was an ex-rugby league player who tweeted something and I just happened to see it he's based in Sydney, by the way. He's got a big following and I responded to it and just basically said please keep this sort of thing to yourself. You don't have the knowledge to make comment of it. And I got absolutely berated personally. Direct messages like bad stuff, threatening stuff, we're gonna find you you. This you do, boy, you don't know what's coming for you. Bang.
Speaker 4:That was the end of my twitter account oh my god, like he just took it down.
Speaker 5:He's like I have done one twitter post and that was it done. I lost twitter straight away.
Speaker 4:I got straight out of it.
Speaker 5:I don't want to deal with it so I I have kept right out of that social media thing being facebook or instagram and I just won't comment.
Speaker 4:I know she will, I won't. Well, I you know, it was so new at that time, and so I personally had the energy but I don't know that I have the same energy now and the way that I deal with things or comment is very different to how I did then. I know how I feel. That's all I need to know. I don't always need to post about it. I don't need to try and win anyone over.
Speaker 2:It's very common what you're saying, george. I'm hearing that a lot, not just from people who have huge platforms like yourself. But a lot of people are talking about fatigue and there's guilt weaved into that. They're ashamed to admit that they don't have the energy, the koach, the strength. They're ashamed to admit that they don't have the energy, the koach, the strength. They kind of feel immobilized now by fear, but also by just that exhaustion and feeling of helplessness. Like you know, what else can I do other than just be myself and show that you know that I'm still proud of my heritage and I'm still supporting the people I need to support, but without directly engaging.
Speaker 5:Georgie probably. She sort of is quite cautious with what she will post out compared to what she used to, because in the end the other side just meets it with anger. So now it's more posts of this is me, this is who I am. I'm a passionate Jew. It as, yeah, I think instead of getting into a tug-and-war little wrestle with them they're just angry.
Speaker 4:You know, in the last year, since October 7th, if someone has come to me and like done a death threat or like whatever it is, it's just like an immediate block. I'm like they're out of my life. I don't want to see them, I don't want to know them. If someone wants to have like a very friendly, calm conversation, I'm open to engage. I have empathy, really Like I want peace. I think everyone thinks that everyone in the world is suffocated by what's going on in the Middle East, and I think that that is not actually true, and so a lot of my followers are not Jewish In fact, most of them are not and most of them are like I don't want to hear about this anymore.
Speaker 5:Actually you just touched on very. I took offense to the fact that my non-Jewish mates didn't reach out to me. I had a few people that I work with and whatever, but my close non-Jewish mates who I've known since I was 10, none of them reached out and some of them haven't actually spoken to me about it and I I was getting a little bit upset until about maybe the start of this year and I had a chat to a couple of my good jewish mates and I said I'm so disappointed in some of these guys and all this and they turned around. They said mate, don't be disappointed. I said how can I not be disappointed? And they said because it doesn't affect them. They're not jew, they're not tuning into social media every morning, they're not looking at the paper, they're not following what's going on with Gaza and Israel, they don't have family over there, so they don't connect the fact that you know you're a Jewish and that you're under attack it's got nothing to do with them, so they just tune out.
Speaker 5:So, I think that's been a challenging one for me but I've now accepted that.
Speaker 2:It's quite evident that you we could classify you as proud Jews. Um, I feel like that's like a bikey gang. Is there something similar like the proud boys or the?
Speaker 1:bra boys? I don't know yeah the proud.
Speaker 2:So you're both proud Jews, um, but I'd love to talk to you about that sense of wearing your identity on your sleeve when you travel. I know that your successful business, tiles of Ezra, produces tiles that are made predominantly in Morocco, a place that you visit annually with your family, and I wondered if you hide your Jewish identity from your Moroccan team and craftspeople.
Speaker 4:That's like such a great question, because we do visit them yearly and obviously Morocco is predominantly an Arab Muslim country and actually one of the most beautiful, warm, friendly countries that I have visited too. That's one of the reasons why we just love going back. It feels like home. The people are just so divine and I would say in the past, I mean we've questioned should we wear it? Should I? Should I wear my mug in that beard? Like or should I take it off? And like I just wear it. If there's a moment that I feel uncomfortable, I'll just shove it underneath, but those moments are few and far between.
Speaker 4:Every time that we have visited we've had very warm receptions from everyone we've met. We've never said actively like we were Jewish. And then, after hearing things that they say we're like, yeah, we're Jewish. And they're like, ah, my brother, you know like they're so warm to the Jewish community. The king's advisor is Jewish. They talk about Jews with such warmth, such pride, in fact. Once I asked one of our tour guides like is there ever any? And she didn't know I was Jewish and I said are there? Are there ever any like issues between the Jewish and the Muslim communities? And and she's like are you serious? She's like how could I cut my arm off? Basically like the metaphor for like Jews are ingrained in the rich heritage and history of Morocco, they are one.
Speaker 2:That's beautiful.
Speaker 4:It's actually a really beautiful country. I'm not saying that all Moroccans support Israel In fact, I think most Moroccans do not support Israel but I've always felt very safe there being a Jew, and I've always had beautiful relationships with the people that I meet. In terms of our manufacturing, all of my teens know that we're Jewish. One of the initiatives that we've focused on the last three years has been to pay for the schooling and education of every child, of every family that works for us. There's about 92 families across the country, and whether they have one child or five children, we want to assist in ensuring that there is education.
Speaker 4:So, you know, we will go there each year. We will hand envelopes physically to each individual and I will wear my Magandavid proudly, like there is a Jew that is doing this. And it's not because I want them to think that, I want them to think that I'm Jewish, right, it's because I want that is like the point. That is like one little seedling of connection and peace. We are more than religions. We are people that can love each other and help each other and work together as a team. And I want them to say, like, don't hate on someone that you don't know, like. Did you know that when you were younger, there was this family, who was Jewish, that paid for your education?
Speaker 5:We're returning to Morocco in about three or four months' time. I wouldn't be overly enthralled with my wife openly showing her Magen David this year round.
Speaker 4:I probably would not wear it openly in the streets. I just don't want to put a potential situation for my children more so but, I, will be wearing it when we're in our manufacturing facility.
Speaker 5:Our manufacturing partners. We will be able to have conversations with about it, like we did last year, we do. We were having amazing conversations about their religion, their people, their history. This year round is going to be a lot different.
Speaker 4:It was challenging for us because we were just there. We were actually there over the earthquake in Morocco and the first people on ground were from Israel. They were, like the first on ground to help with aid, to help get people out, to help deal with this complex scenario.
Speaker 4:And then, a month later, no and days later, days later, october 7th happened and we had arrived back and our manufacturers, you know, were expressing themselves very clearly and it wasn't aligned with Israel and that was very hurtful and we had conversations, open, fluid, mature conversations with all of them and those will continue, because they're great people. They're also being fed very different things.
Speaker 2:Very different narratives.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, very, very different, very different. It's very interesting to hear.
Speaker 3:One of the paradoxes that has occurred to me really throughout the current moment and climate we're living in, is that the closer you are to the conflict zone so in this case, in North Africa, or perhaps even in, you know, other parts of the Middle East, or you know even in Israel itself you will find people on both sides, be they Jewish or Arab and Muslim, that are ready and willing to maintain relations and find a way through. But here in Australia, tens of thousands of kilometres away from Israel and Gaza, there seems to be this total incapacity to hear or to see the other side, but instead to dox and to troll and to ratchet up the angrier and the vitriol. I just wondered whether that paradox has also occurred to you and whether you have any thoughts on that.
Speaker 5:I'm embarrassed about what's going on in Australia. I've got Israeli mates who are messaging me on a daily, basically going when are you leaving, when are you getting out of there, when are you coming over here? And it's like why are you saying that? They're like because you should see what we can see. Look at all the social media, Look at what they're doing at your universities, Look what they're doing. And they said they go, you guys ain't being protected. Your police are doing nothing. Your government's sitting on their hands. I still view that Australia is the best country in the world, but I'm embarrassed by what's going on.
Speaker 4:It feels very un-Australian and I do think the media have a big part of that. I mean, just on the weekend we were at a Never Again Is Now event. It was with people of all different religions and faiths, but it was actually created by a Christian organisation who brought in speakers from the Presbyterian Church, from Catholic churches, from Aboriginal communities, different people from the parliament and there was probably like 40% Jewish people and 60% non-Jewish and it was beautiful and we were singing. It moved us to tears and there were people in the audience that were from Iran and they were like it was amazing. And then to see how it was misconstrued on the TV because down the road, knowing that we were doing that, there was a massive rally that was anti-Israel, pro-palestinian, but we were talking about anti-Semitism. We weren't even talking about Israel. We were talking about being Australian and how all religions, all faiths should be recognised. But of course in the media it got spewed that there was like two rallies against each other and actually it wasn't the case at all.
Speaker 4:And so I do think the media have a huge part to play to fuel all of this, which is very sad.
Speaker 5:But in the end we're all Australians.
Speaker 4:And I do think that there's such a stigma around countries like Morocco. I've recently had a friend say like I would never go there and I'm like it's safer than like I feel like I would wear my mug and David out in the public in Morocco over wearing it in Paris any day, you know. So I do feel that there's a huge stigma and I just I love Morocco. I think the people are beautiful. We've established amazing connections outside of our manufacturing with hotel owners and staff and people in the Fez community that we see every year, and I just think that there's so much warmth between the Muslim and the Jewish communities in that country.
Speaker 5:But we will report back.
Speaker 4:We will see what this year entails.
Speaker 2:Maybe you might even be the jewish independence moroccan correspondence richie. Is there anything that you're just generally ashamed to admit?
Speaker 5:all right when it comes to to my faith yeah when it comes to faith, culture, anything like?
Speaker 2:are you ashamed to admit that you still have nightmares about your bris?
Speaker 5:No, I don't have nightmares. I'm going to tell you one here. We're very fortunate that we travel a lot for business. Some of the places we stay have buffets.
Speaker 2:I know where this is going.
Speaker 5:My wife doesn't know this, but I reckon for the last sort of 14 years I have gone through that buffet with my fingers picked up a slice of bacon here and there and shoved it in. Shoved it in and just done the chew. I've done it a lot. I've done that a heap. It's delicious. The last one would be I have frequently nicked some of Jesse's change out of his money box to pay for a few things.
Speaker 2:Out of his J&F money box. So that's one less tree being planted in Israel.
Speaker 5:But what I always say is I'll always replace it at some stage.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 5:It might not be next week, it could just be in a few years' time With interest, earning interest, that would be it.
Speaker 2:Richie, are you ashamed to admit that if Georgia hadn't come into your life, you'd be a pokey addicted incel working on a dodgy building site, living off greasy kebabs, apart from Friday nights when you'd treat yourself to some bland Ashkenazi gefilte fish?
Speaker 5:100%, 100%. She's turned the tables on me and my lifestyles she certainly made you spicier in a good way spicier, yeah, but you still love gefilte fish, it's like love gefilte fish. Well, I'm a proud ashkenaz, right, but I I get the fruitfuls of um Sephardi heritage that Georgie has. We spent Pesach over in Sydney, so I get to have rice during Pesach. I get to have chalaik instead of kharoset.
Speaker 4:So much better there weren't apples, as my dad always says, he's like there weren't apples back in the day. It was all dates.
Speaker 5:I'll always be an Ashkenazi at heart, and I think my kids will be as well, and I also don't have that sort of coloring as the Sephardis have either. I also go to the Sephardi synagogue when I come to Sydney and I stand out like dog's balls. So when I actually come into the synagogue, everyone sort of turns to me and goes whoa, this guy's got a little bit of a ginger beard going on. He's actually wearing jeans. And then, you know, security always stopped me. However, rabbi Shrieky always gives me a big, beautiful bear hug, so I feel a part of that community.
Speaker 2:Let us know where our listeners because we've got listeners all over the world where can they see second season of Design Down Under?
Speaker 4:So you can watch season two of Design Down Under on HBO, max, magnolia Network or Discovery Plus, that is, if you are in Canada or America and you can watch Season 1. I think it is still on in-flight entertainment, but I am not 100% sure if it's still on there, okay.
Speaker 2:We'll have to bleep out the word because they're not official sponsors of the show.
Speaker 5:Or perhaps in a couple of years' time it might just land on Australian TV, who knows?
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 5:Tammy Dash, it's been tremendous.
Speaker 2:That was our interview with Jewish power couple George Ezra and Richie Morris. Next week, dash it's our final episode for season one.
Speaker 3:We are going to be going our separate ways for a couple of months, for.
Speaker 2:June or July. Big hole, big gaping hole in my calendar and my heart.
Speaker 3:We will fill you in a little bit more about what we're planning for season two next week on next week's episode. Speaking of next week's episode.
Speaker 2:Tammy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we have a guest slash guests that we are quite excited about extremely, I'd say like on the spectrum of quite too extremely.
Speaker 2:I'm extremely excited and I know that our listeners it's going to be such a treat for them so make sure you download episode 10, the final in this season next week. So that brings episode 9 of season 1 to a close. Today's episode was mixed and edited by Nick King, with music by Donovan Jenks. Links to the TJR articles mentioned today are in the show notes. You know I've noticed that you started saying TJI, like with a Sydney accent, with South African twang. Well, I'm from Adelaide, so yeah, you say dancing in Adelaide.
Speaker 3:I have a more refined accent. Anyway, if you like the podcast, leave a positive review, tell your friends, tell your spin class, your Pilates group. You can have a quill or a kvetch via the contact form on the Jewish Independent website or email. Ashamed at thejewishindependentcomau.
Speaker 2:As always. Thanks for your support and we can't wait to spice up your ears next Tuesday.
Speaker 3:See you then.
Speaker 2:Bye, richie. Are you ashamed to admit that your wife used to give me wedgies in high school?
Speaker 5:I'm definitely not ashamed that. My wife used to give you wedgies in high school. That's just the way she wanted to express herself. That's her love language. That's her love language touching. Did she ever break material on the underwear?
Speaker 2:All I'm going to say is she's the reason why I'm my colorectal surgeon's favorite patient.