Does history repeat itself? It sure does when it comes to Australian Jewry.
I am witnessing antisemitism in Sydney like I’ve never seen before. The revival of hatred toward Jews was triggered by the tragedy that occurred in Israel on October 7, 2023.
A day after that fatal attack, Muslim imams spat out anti-Jewish rhetoric to their communities describing Jews as “blood-thirsty monsters” with “their hands everywhere in businesses and the media” and calling for Jihad.
Under the Racial Discrimination Act, The Executive Council of Australian Jewry commenced legal proceedings against two clerics in the Federal Court of Australia.
To stand in solidarity with Israel, two days after Oct. 7, the Australian government decided to display images of the Israeli flag on the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Palestinian supporters retaliated by gathering at that landmark (while the Jews were warned to keep away) to set alight the Israeli flag, which they stomped on while shouting profanities. Police stood by and watched.
Shortly after, a private WhatsApp group was formed consisting of six hundred Jewish Australians. Months later this group, set up to provide support against antisemitism, was doxxed by Australian author Clementine Ford and others. That resulted in members losing their jobs, small businesses being targeted, abusive messages being received. Some members moved to other neighborhoods for safety, while one family had to go into hiding after receiving a death threat.
On Oct. 13, three men were captured on CCTV performing the Nazi salute outside the Jewish museum in Sydney. They received fines for their actions. On Jan. 8, 2024, parliament passed legislation to ban the offensive salute.
On Oct. 23, hundreds of Palestinian activists protested – both on land and sea (using jet skis) – at Port Botany to prevent Israeli container ships from docking. While drums were banging, the protestors shouted, “Free Palestine.” Nineteen people were arrested and charged with obstruction and failing to comply with police directions to move along.
A month later, psychological warfare was waged against the Jews when a convoy of about thirty motorcycles and cars drove to Coogee (a Jewish neighborhood), waving Palestinian flags and shouting, “Free Palestine.” A large police presence was at the final destination together with 100 Jews.
Clusters of tents bearing Palestinian flags were erected on the lawn of the prestigious Sydney University by pro-Palestinian students who also held demonstrations on the grounds. At a Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry into antisemitism at universities, seven vice-chancellors admitted that the university failed to keep Jewish students safe.
In October of this year, some 50 Neo-Nazi masked men, wearing all black, marched into a town called Corowa between Victoria and NSW and held a demonstration, shouting white supremacist slogans and carrying incendiary banners. They simply marched in and took over. Everyone was stunned at how this could happen and how no one was prepared for it.
In mid-October, a Jewish-owned bakery, Avner’s, was targeted with the word “Beware” and an inverted red triangle spray-painted on its window. A threatening note reading “Be careful” was also left for the owner.
On November 10, buildings in a Jewish area, Woollahra, were spray-painted and ten cars were damaged. The 20-year-old perpetrator tried fleeing the country but was caught at Sydney airport by police. The same location was targeted again a week later. This time, a car was set alight, nine more damaged, and homes and footpaths were defaced with anti-Israel graffiti. Those perpetrators have not been caught.
A culmination of these antisemitic attacks occurred on Dec. 6, at the Adass Israel shul, the oldest and largest synagogue in Melbourne. While men were davening inside, arsonists firebombed the synagogue. Six Torah scrolls were damaged and one of the worshipers had his hand badly burned. Remarkably, a Torah scroll that survived the firebombing of a synagogue in Bratislava, Slovakia, during WWII and was brought to safety in Adass Israel was extracted once again from the rubble. In a merciful twist of fate, the architect of the shul, a Holocaust survivor aged 95, died two hours before it was set alight.
Only a couple days later, local Jewish members of the community and others attended an event in Sydney’s oldest shul, the Great Synagogue, celebrating 100 years of the Israel Institute of Technology. In attendance were esteemed professors, artists, and other important community members. Outside, the front of the shul were noisy and aggressive activists bearing a large slogan asking for the eradication of Israel and shouting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Jews remained barricaded inside the synagogue for three hours until it was safe for them to leave.
All this besides dozens of incidents of antisemitic vandalism and graffiti directly targeting Jewish homes, businesses, and shuls.
And now, for the first time in history, a travel alert has been raised by Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, warning Jews and Israelis to reconsider non-essential travel to Australia.
Despite costing the Australian government (or more likely me and other taxpayers) over $5 million since last October to deploy police to pro-Palestinian demonstrations, the protests continue to gather every Sunday in Sydney’s central business district.
This week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese granted $32 million to the Sydney Jewish community for security at Jewish schools, synagogues, and Jewish community sites. Additionally, Operation Avalite has been set up by the government to tackle antisemitism and protect students and synagogues.
Despite these measures, the Jewish community in Sydney and Melbourne are living in fear.
Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal said she saw antisemitism rise 700 percent since the October 7 attacks. According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, 2,062 antisemitic incidents have occurred across Australia between October 2023 and September 30, 2024 – a 300 to 400 percent increase.
I am seeing a revival of antisemitism in my country similar to pre-WWII Germany, when rallies held by Hitler culminated in Kristallnacht, where physical assaults, abuse, harassment, intimidation, death threats, vandalism, and graffiti targeted Jews. The only difference nowadays is that hatred can be spread more widely and rapidly with the help of Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
I now understand the fear and trepidation my grandparents and other relatives endured before the Holocaust. We, like them, are helpless. Our government is not doing enough to protect us. Police are turning a blind eye or are powerless.
How much more can we endure before reaching breaking point? I’m almost there and I’m sure others feel the same way. It is for that reason I have applied for aliyah. I see a bleak future for my people in this country, once dubbed the “lucky country.” It isn’t anymore.
