Antisemitic incidents rock Victorian state schools

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Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) president Daniel Aghion has declared that “one incident of antisemitism in a Victorian school is too many” after disturbing reports of antisemitic incidents – including Nazi salutes, offensive memes and physical assaults – were reported in The Age over the weekend.

The shocking revelations have prompted calls for immediate action to address the rising instances of discrimination and hatred within educational institutions.

In the report in The Age, several Jewish students bravely shared their experiences, shining a spotlight on the reality they face within their own schools. They recounted instances of fellow students making Nazi salutes and sharing offensive memes that targeted their religious and cultural backgrounds.

One Jewish student told The Age that he faced incidents where individuals made “Heil Hitler” salutes, and he was subjected to physical assault, including being held down, hit, and kicked, while another student attempted to draw a swastika on his leg.

According to The Age’s report, these disturbing incidents are not isolated cases. Rather, they are part of a troubling pattern that has been unfolding across several state schools in Victoria, including Brighton Secondary College, Brunswick Secondary College and Rowville Secondary Sports Academy.

Community leaders have expressed outrage at the reported incidents.

Aghion said that since the beginning of term two, an antisemitism training program has been made available to all Victorian school staff at no cost.

“This program was developed by the Department of Education and the JCCV, with expert input from the Jewish Museum of Australia and the Ark Centre,” he said.

The JCCV urged all teachers to undertake this training to “learn how to understand, identify and respond to antisemitism in a timely manner.”

A Department of Education spokesperson told The AJN, “Any antisemitic behaviour in schools is distressing and disturbing and taken extremely seriously – we work closely with the Victorian Jewish community to strengthen our zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism.”