Upstanders Not Bystanders

Erica Frydenberg, Lee Kofman, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Michael Scott  – moderator Rachelle Unreich 

What inspires some people to stand up to hatred in the face of danger? In this call to action, Erica Frydenberg speaks of the remarkable heroes who saved countless lives during the Holocaust. Michael Scott explains his drive, as a non-Jewish ally, to shine a light on the exponential rise in antisemitism since October 7. Lee Kofman speaks from the heart about the online doxxing of 600 creatives, and how Ruptured has confronted the scourge. And Kylie Moore Gilbert provides insight into the plight of Iranians and her experience as a hostage in Tehran. This huge session will be expertly convened by Rachelle Unreich who has herself contributed to 3 recent anthologies on being Jewish today. 

About the artists:

Dr Erica Frydenberg AM: Born in Budapest and arriving in Sydney as a Holocaust refugee, Dr Erica Frydenberg is an educational, clinical and organisational psychologist who has practised extensively in the Australian educational setting. A Principal Research fellow at The University of Melbourne, she has published more than 25 books and 150 articles with a core focus on developing resilience and well-being from early childhood and throughout life.

Dr Lee Kofman is a Russian-born, Israeli-Australian author of three fiction books and two memoirs, including Imperfect (Affirm Press, 2019), which was shortlisted for Nib Literary Award, The Dangerous Bride (Melbourne University Press, 2014), and a writing and reading guide The Writer Laid Bare: Mastering emotional honesty in a writer’s art, craft & life (Ventura Press, 2022). She has also edited three anthologies of personal essays, Rebellious Daughters (Ventura Press, 2016), Split (Ventura Press, 2019), which was longlisted for ABIA awards, and co-edited Ruptured (LJLA, 2025) that features prominent Australian writers.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert is an Australian-British academic in Middle Eastern political science. She was employed as a lecturer at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute and has researched contemporary political developments in the Middle East. In 2022, Moore-Gilbert wrote a memoir, The Uncaged Sky: My 804 Days in an Iranian Prison, about her experience as a hostage in Iran.

Colonel Michael Scott, CSC, GAICD, is a retired Australian Army officer with 30 years of service– including deployments to East Timor, Bougainville, Iraq, and Afghanistan – and a 2019-21 UN secondment in Jerusalem, where he earned a Conspicuous Service Cross. A Duntroon graduate with multiple advanced degrees, he is completing an MBA at AGSM (with an NYU Stern exchange in 2025). In 2023, he founded The 2023 Foundation to combat antisemitism and promote peaceful coexistence, and in 2024 became an honorary life member of Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue.

Rachelle Unreich (moderator) has been a journalist for 40 years, including seven years in the United States where she wrote about the entertainment industry. Her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review, Elle, Rolling Stone, Good Weekend, and she has been extensively published in the US, the UK, and Southeast Asia. Her first book, A Brilliant Life, is the powerful true story of her mother Mira, a Holocaust survivor.

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