Rawan Osman tells her story

Rawan Osman was born in Syria and raised in Lebanon, where she says she was exposed from a young age to deeply anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives. Today, she describes herself as an Arab Zionist and is a prominent advocate for confronting antisemitism and challenging misconceptions about Jews and Israel. Osman recently visited Australia, speaking at Jewish community events in Sydney and Melbourne. Her visit comes at a particularly significant time, as Australia grapples with a rise in antisemitism and the findings of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. In this interview, Osman speaks about her dramatic change in worldview, what she believes contributed to antisemitic attitudes in the Middle East, her relationship with Judaism and Israel and why she believes challenging antisemitism has become increasingly important.