Australian Jewish community: ‘Be vigilant’
CSG Victoria has urged "increased vigilance" of the community as Australian Jewish organisations react to the declaration of war in Israel.
CSG Victoria have issued a community alert following the launch of a Hamas offensive from Gaza, as the Jewish community celebrates the festivals of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
Early Saturday morning, Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip infiltrated the Israeli towns of Sderot, Ofakim and other border communities. More than 3,000 rockets were launched from Gaza into Southern and Central Israel, at least 300 Israelis have been murdered – with a further unconfirmed number of Israelis kidnapped – and more than 1600 Israelis wounded.
A short time ago, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “Israel is at war”.
In a public statement CSG Victoria confirmed they are “closely monitoring the situation [and] will provide updates to the community as required”.
Speaking with The AJN this evening, a CSG spokesperson urged, “increased vigilance”.
“If you see something, call 000 in an emergency, and then call CSG immediately on 1300 000 274.”
“If you see anything out of context – if it doesn’t feel right, and the gut feels it’s out of place – let us know.”
The spokesperson continued, “We rely on our community to trust their gut and if they see something that doesn’t think feels right or, it seems out of place, or they’re concerned by it, ring the CSG and we’ll assess it and then we can handle that – we can send a team out to help them, if they need.”
When asked if there have been any reported incidents related to the war in Israel, CSG did not provide a comment.
Meanwhile, condemnation of the attack from representative bodies of the Australian Jewish Community was swift, united and unequivocal.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the peak national representative body of the Australian Jewish community, condemned what is called the premeditated, unprovoked attack from the air and on the ground on sovereign Israeli territory by Hamas terrorists.
ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said, “In addition to a massive rocket barrage targeting Israel’s metropolitan areas, Hamas forces have infiltrated into Israel with the clear aim of murdering civilians and taking hostages”.
The ECAJ co-Chair described the acts as egregious war crimes in their targeting of civilians and an armed attack against a sovereign state.
“We call upon the Australian Government to condemn without equivocation these flagrant crimes. Any calls for de-escalation by “both sides” or attempts to draw equivalences between the crimes of a terrorist organisation and the defensive measures of a sovereign and democratic state are misconceived and only play into the hands of the terrorists,” he said.
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) has also unequivocally condemned “the vicious and unprovoked surprise coordinated armed attacks on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas today” and expressed solidarity with the people of Israel.
AIJAC Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Israel, as they resist this barbaric and unprovoked attack, on a Jewish holy day. Our deepest sympathies go to the families of those murdered by Hamas”.
Dr Rubenstein rejected claims by Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif that the attack was related to “the desecration of the al-Aqsa Mosque” and described this as a feeble pretext, saying the real reason is far more likely to be Hamas’ concern at progress being made in peace talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“Any prospect of peace is anathema to Hamas and the rogue Iranian regime which sponsors, arms and directs it. This indiscriminate, targeting of Israeli civilians with rocket fire, and by squads of armed terrorists is a blatant war crime, with no justification whatsoever,” he said.
“We trust that the international community will unreservedly condemn this brutal act of wanton terrorism against Israeli civilians by Hamas and will fully support Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens,” Dr Rubenstein added.
Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) Director of Public Affairs, Dr Bren Carlil said, “This is an appalling, unprovoked attack that breaches all norms.”
“Hamas is firing rockets at cities and villages. It is shooting civilians in cold blood in their homes. It is taking hostages, including elderly women, and parading the bodies of its victims through the streets. These crimes against humanity reveal not just the tactics of Hamas but the depravity of the movement and its real agenda – an agenda of murder, of genocide.”
Dr Carlill added, “We stand with Israel’s right and duty to defend itself and its citizens.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD) have labelled the attack as “one of the most serious assaults on Israel in years”.
“We are closely following the very concerning developments… As Israelis sit in bomb shelters across the country and Israel defends itself against unprovoked aggression, the Jewish community of NSW #StandsWithIsrael during this time of terror and reaffirms Israel’s right and obligation to defend her citizens.”
Zionism Victoria lamented the fact that on a day when citizens would ordinarily be praying in synagogues marking Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah – the seventh day of Sukkot and the conclusion of the reading of the Torah – they are instead forced to seek refuge in shelters as thousands of rockets rain down from Gaza, or barricade themselves in their houses as armed terrorists rampage through the streets firing indiscriminately and trying to take hostages.
Zionism Victoria president Yossi Goldfarb said, “We are shocked and saddened by the reports from Israel today and we pray that this latest assault on the sovereign state and its citizens is brought to a speedy conclusion with a minimum number of casualties and fatalities on both sides.
“The terrorist groups in Gaza that perpetrate these attacks and the terrorist regime of Hamas that allows them to take place unchecked must be universally condemned. Likewise, Israel’s right to defend both its borders and its citizens against this unprovoked and unjustifiable aggression must be recognised and upheld by the international community,” he said.
Mr Goldfarb added, “That this attack occurs on a major Jewish festival and on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War is surely no coincidence. Similarly, that it has been launched amid reports that Israel and Saudi Arabia are edging ever closer to normalisation.
Godfarb said this is not just an attempt to terrorise and murder innocent Israelis, it is also an attempt to derail the peace process between these two countries.
He noted that over the next two days, Jews in Melbourne will be in synagogues marking Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, but celebrations will be overshadowed by concern for events in Israel and, in particular, family and friends who live there.
“Just as we hope and pray for those in Israel, so too we pray for the safety of our own community here in Australia. We know only too well from experience that when hostilities erupt on that side of the globe, there is a spike in antisemitic incidents on these shores as well” Goldfarb said.
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