6,000 Jews attend commemoration in Melbourne
The mood was sombre and respectful, with many families with children present.
The anniversary of October 7 was marked in Melbourne with a large gathering and a Walk of Light with lanterns.
Political leaders including the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen joined members of the Jewish community at the Morris Moor complex in Moorabbin.
6,000 people are estimated to have attended the event, with most in the hall and a substantial number of people in the spillover area outside, where they watched the event on a screen.
The mood was sombre and emotional, with many families with children present.
Zionism Victoria, organised the event together with Habayit, supported by the Zionist Federation of Australia and the UIA.
ZV said the presence of the prime minister, the premier, the Victorian opposition leader, Senator James Patterson representing Peter Dutton (who attended the Sydney community event), many MPs in both federal and state politics, together with the Catholic Archbishop Peter Comensoli, leaders of other faith and multicultural communities and members of the diplomatic corps added to the significance of the event.
Teal MPs and former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews were also present.
According to media reports, the Prime Minister was the target of some jeers, with one man holding a sign which read “Shame on you Albo. Photo opportunity only!!! No genuine support for Jewish community.”
No politicians spoke, with most of the evening being dedicated to solemn artistic program presented and performed by members of the community.
Melbourne’s Jewish schools presented songs, and there were dedications to hostages and the fallen.
Yossi Goldfarb, President of Zionism Victoria, in his opening remarks, directly tackled the growth of antisemitism and Australian foreign policy towards Israel since October 7.
“There is a permissiveness that has let anti-Semitism fester. A permissiveness encouraged by weak and ambiguous expositions of our foreign policy that in our community’s view have weakened our social cohesion, leaving us to feel that the state of Israel has been abandoned as a natural ally of the Australian people.” he said.
Goldfarb says the Jewish community rejects this permissiveness, “And its associated morally bankrupt equivalence that allows other communities to libel ours, that allows others to call for self-determination, while rejecting the same right for Jews”.
There was a strong presence from Victoria Police and Victoria CSG and the event went ahead peacefully.
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