I Thought Australia Was In A Good Deal Better Shape Than This, But Some Stresses Are Showing Recently I Feel!

This appeared last week:

We feared rising antisemitism would lead to violence. Those fears came true

Gabi Kaltmann

Rabbi

December 6, 2024 — 7.00pm

Last week, I stood alongside other faith leaders and the minister for multicultural affairs in the city to announce the state government’s new anti-racism strategy. As a rabbi and multifaith leader, it was a privilege to participate in this vital initiative. But on my way home, an incident shook me to the core.

As I stepped off the tram on Burke Road in Camberwell, a man I had never seen before spotted my skullcap, came up to me and shouted, “F---ing Jew, free Palestine”, before running off.

I was stunned and horrified. As I stood there, processing what had just happened, I thought about how much Melbourne, the city where I was raised, had changed. I had never before been targeted in this way simply for being Jewish.

Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists murdered 1200 Israelis, took 250 hostages, and ignited a war with Israel, antisemitism has surged in Australia. Jewish Australians are experiencing an unprecedented rise in threats and hostility. Synagogues and Jewish businesses have been attacked, security has been tightened at Jewish schools, and those of us who are visibly Jewish now live with a heightened sense of vulnerability. Frankly, many of us are terrified.

On Friday morning, I woke to the devastating news that the Adass Israel Synagogue, one of Melbourne’s largest and busiest, had apparently been attacked by arsonists. Two people studying Torah inside suffered burns, and the building was severely damaged. Thankfully, no lives were lost.

The synagogue was founded by Holocaust survivors who fled to Australia in search of safety, and the congregation represents a community that is visibly and unmistakably Jewish. The members of Adass live a deeply religious, apolitical life, entirely focused on faith, family and acts of kindness. They have no political affiliation with Zionism or the State of Israel. Yet they were attacked simply because they are Jewish.

For months, Jewish leaders have been warning that rising antisemitism would escalate into violence. It was a warning I raised at the beginning of the year due to the number of unsettling incidents across our city. Tragically, those warnings have now become reality. Burning a synagogue is a violent attack on a community, its history and its future.

Antisemitism doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It flourishes when hatred and intolerance are allowed to fester. Since the October 7 attacks, Jewish Australians have been grappling with an increasingly hostile environment. Many feel abandoned by a society that prides itself on inclusivity but has not taken sufficient action to protect us.

Despite promises of increased security funding, progress has been slow. The appointment of a federal antisemitism envoy is a positive step, but it is not enough. What we need now is decisive action at the national level.

As a Jewish community leader, I am calling for a federal summit on antisemitism. This summit should bring together lawmakers, policymakers and community leaders to confront the fear and anxiety Jewish Australians have been living with for the past 14 months. It should provide a platform for co-ordinated action, ensuring that laws, resources and policies are implemented effectively across the country.

This is not just about the Jewish community. Antisemitism is often a harbinger of broader societal problems. When hatred against one group is allowed to grow unchecked, it inevitably spreads. Addressing antisemitism is not only about protecting Jewish Australians; it is about safeguarding the values of tolerance and diversity that underpin our nation.

The attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue is a stark reminder that antisemitism is not a distant problem; it is here. Now is the time for action.

Let “zero tolerance” truly mean zero tolerance. Let us show that Australia is a country where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live in safety and dignity.

Gabi Kaltmann is a rabbi at the Ark Centre in Hawthorn.

Here is the link:

https://www.theage.com.au/national/we-feared-rising-antisemitism-would-lead-to-violence-those-fears-have-come-true-20241206-p5kwge.html

I fear we have all seen this movie before and we know it never ends well, without careful and deliberate course corrections. We all have to keep working hard to make sure that all parts of our society are equally supported and respected. This approach is certainly the way I want things to play out with balance and respect for all! My feeling is that all community leaders need to work harder in times of civil stress, as we seem to be seeing at present.

My view is that we are in not too bad a shape right now but that the maneuvering room is rather reduced at present and we need to remain alert to the various stresses and strains in the community. The world is clearly a more dangerous and complex place than it has been in a good while! I rather fear the new Trump Presidency may not help. Time will tell, but I see complex times ahead!

David.