Australia’s Jewish community feels under siege, Government on the back foot after latest anti-Semitic attack
A senior Jewish leader says his community is reeling from the “massive escalation” of a foiled mass casualty event that was a “wake up call” that hate, incitement and violence had gone too far.
A fresh overnight attack on a Jewish primary school in Sydney and the discovery of a caravan containing anti-Semitic notes and enough explosives to kill and maim hundreds has unleashed fresh terror and palpable anger among Jewish Australians, who are demanding more action from the Government.
Colin Rubenstein, the Executive Director of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, welcomed the “change in tack” from the Government as it took a tougher stance and made high-level trips to Israel and the recent Auschwitz memorial, as “better late than ever”.
But he lamented an earlier lack of action and downplaying of anti-Semitism that had allowed bigotry and racism to take root, creating a climate that fanned the flames of hostility.
“This laid back, almost tone-deaf approach to these issues has had a serious consequence – the toxin that we’ve seen, the university encampments, the fire-bombing of synagogues and homes, childcare centres,” he said.
“We hope that this commitment of priorities to going after the perpetrators is sustained and is successful and is effective,” he said.
“But obviously there are many steps that have to be taken to ensure that this explosion of bigotry and anti-Semitism is brought under control, and we get back to the Australia of law and order, respect and tolerance that we know and love so well.”
Camera IconDr Colin Rubenstein, Executive Director of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) Credit: SKYNEWS/Supplied
Daniel Aghion, executive president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, added to the outpouring of frustration.
“We’re beside ourselves. It’s very simple: stop attacking the Jewish community. Stop trying to blow us up,” he said.
“Obviously our community is extremely distressed and very angry, and we just seem to be being hit with this day after day after day.
“For the last 16 months, we’ve been pressing the Federal Government to act decisively on anti-Semitism. The thing about anti-Semitism is once you let it out of the box, it’s very, very hard to contain.”
Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, denounced the “heinous” overnight targeting of a school and said Jewish Australians were now hiring private security to protect themselves and their children.
The caravan incident was “frightening but not unexpected,” he said. “We have been warning that a terrorist attack seemed more likely.
“Obviously the Jewish community is in fear because there are so many incidents, and it just does not feel like the authorities have the situation under control,” he said.
Jewish community leaders have been calling for an independent judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses and joined the Coalition’s early calls for a National Cabinet to be convened to tackle the growing crisis.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “unequivocally” condemned the caravan plot and said the “full might” of the Australian Federal Police, ASIO and the NSW Police had been tasked to assist a “major investigation” by the Joint Counter Terrorism Team.
“It’s clearly designed to harm people, but it’s also designed to create fear in the community,” Mr Albanese told ABC news on Thursday.
“We remain concerned about this escalation. We’re doing everything that we can. And the fact that people are being detained, arrested, charged, kept in the clink without bail, indicates that that’s the case,” he said.
But on multiple occasions on Thursday, he could not be drawn on when he was briefed.
“I don’t comment on operational matters,” he said, adding he received a national security briefing everyday and had met with the National Security Committee on Thursday morning.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers described the discovery of the van as “incredibly disturbing”, and told two separate breakfast TV programs fears held by the Jewish community in Australia “are not always unfounded”.
He later apologised for appearing to downplay the Jewish community’s concerns after some Jewish Australians felt he was suggesting their concerns about antisemitism had sometimes been overblown.
“I’ve had that relayed to me and I apologise,” he said.
“My intention was to share and acknowledge the very real and understandable fears and concerns in the Jewish community in light of recent events.
“I could have and should have expressed that more clearly, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”
Melbourne businessman Menacham Vorchheimer grew up hearing stories of his father’s terrifying escape on the ‘Kinderstransport’ train that spirited children to safety from the Nazi regime before the outbreak of World War II.
Camera IconJewish community leader Menachem Vorchheimer (left). Credit: JS ET/AAPIMAGE
Today, in a previously inconceivable turnaround for his family, Mr Vorchheimer and his relatives are preparing their passports and assets in case they need to flee the dark cloud of anti-Semitism blighting their lives in Australia – and they’re considering taking refuge in Germany.
Mr Vorchheimer, a leading Jewish community advocate, said Australian Jews are readying for the worst as they grapple with fear and frustration at the seemingly unstoppable rise of anti-Semitic attacks the Israeli Foreign Minister described this week as an “unchecked” epidemic.
Every Jew lived with the trauma of the Holocaust and an awareness of the danger of words that aim to render people subhuman, he told The Nightly.
“We know the dangers from the past. We know what can happen, and we’re not naive to bury our heads in the sand and think this can’t happen again,” he said.
Several Jewish leaders have backed the Opposition’s promise to introduce minimum jail terms for acts of anti-Semitism.
Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash said the Dural incident strengthened the case for minimum sentences and the Coalition would try to amend the Government’s Hate Crimes Bill next week to include people who urge or threaten attacks against places of worship.
On Thursday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the latest “disturbing” developments in Dural were “entirely predictable” because of the Prime Minister’s weak leadership.
“The Prime Minister has not stood up and been strong and renounced all of this activity over the last 15 months or so. Of course it will escalate,” he said.
“Had this terrorist attack taken place… this would have been the most significant terrorist attack in our country’s history.
He lamented that Holocaust survivors were now feeling unsafe in Australia, denouncing it a “national disgrace” that the Prime Minister had presided over.
Camera IconA anti-Semitic arson attack on a vehicle in Woollahra in December. OnScene Bondi Credit: OnScene Bondi/OnScene Bondi
Berowra Liberal MP Julian Leeser — who is Jewish and whose electorate includes Dural — said “anti-Semitism has been out of control for some time now,” and accused the Government of taking “half-measures” to address it.
“They just underestimated a national security crisis that we, both the Jewish community and the Opposition, have been flagging for 15 months,” he told The Nightly.
Growing anti-Semitism was hurting Australia’s international reputation as a free and tolerant country, he said.
It had long been a safe haven for people of every background, including Jewish people, and hosted the largest per capita number of Holocaust survivors and descendants.
“Now that people who abide by the law don’t feel that they are safe living here is tragedy for Australia.”
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