Being a light unto the nations
While many decent non-Jewish Australians have stood with us, many who should have been our allies, have not.
The federal government’s decision to finally set up a Commonwealth Royal Commission into antisemitism has been roundly welcomed. Many remain shocked that even after the horror of the Bondi massacre it took an unrelenting campaign from the Jewish community and others for Labor to eventually act.
Whether the Royal Commission will succeed in arresting the post-October 7 explosion in antisemitism remains to be seen. History suggests that without the political will to implement a Royal Commission’s recommendations, even the most comprehensive inquiry will be ineffective.
The government’s apparent failure to act on Jillian Segal’s “Plan to Counter Antisemitism” report prior to the Bondi massacre does not give one confidence.
My deeper concern is our community’s visceral hope that the Royal Commission will succeed. Even if the Hon. Virginia Bell does a sterling job and even if the federal government musters the political will to implement all recommendations, the forces of antisemitism, I fear, have been irretrievably unleashed.
Like we saw with that now infamous Netanyahu cartoon, even the worst terrorist attack in Australian history has not led everyone to reassess their lurking antisemitism. Moreover, I am worried that certain Royal Commission recommendations, if implemented, could perversely exacerbate anti-Jewish stereotypes and scapegoating.
Jew hatred is now a global reality, and it is leading some to conclude that many Diaspora communities – perhaps most – will eventually become unviable. They argue the only long-term answer is aliyah. How ironic that unhinged anti-
Zionism and antisemitism may ultimately strengthen the Jewish state.
As pessimistic as I am about the outlook for antisemitism, I believe it also provides Diaspora Jewish communities with an opportunity. Once again, we have a chance to be a light unto the nations – to demonstrate that through resilience and self-reliance, our communities can thrive in the face of adversity.
This is a well-trodden Jewish path – unfortunately. It was in the Pale of Settlement in Tsarist Russia that Jews encountered some of their harshest challenges: political restrictions, economic disadvantages and horrific pogroms. Yet during that same period Jews celebrated some of their most remarkable achievements.
Jewish communities entered a golden age of Yiddish literature and theatre. They built grand yeshivot, developed modern Hebrew, fostered political movements, including Zionism. They built social welfare systems, cultural and sporting organisations and found innovative ways to become financiers and industrialists.
That’s not to say this period should be romanticised. It was harsh, humiliating and often deadly. Many fled at the first opportunity and it’s undoubtedly reassuring that we now have the modern State of Israel as a backstop against history repeating itself.
Whatever the impact of the Royal Commission, Jewish communities have proven they can survive and remain vibrant even under the harshest conditions.
The answer is found in turning inwards, being creative and resourceful, focusing on our strengths, leaning into our history, values and beliefs, and remaining eternally optimistic that times will improve. We can once again show the world what is possible in the face of suffocating adversity.
Too many other groups and communities in the West have lost their way on that front. They have been convinced they are stuck and helpless; that they are victims. They have internalised being overwhelmed and defeated by hardship and disadvantage, and that the only option is waiting for someone else to save them.
It’s worth noting that historically the Jews have been at the forefront of helping these disadvantaged communities: Indigenous Australians, black South Africans, US civil rights campaigners.
We have a proud history of exercising our social conscience by assisting other disadvantaged communities in their struggles. Having said that, in my mind, one of the key lessons of October 7 – and December 14 – is the folly of so-called allyship. While many decent non-Jewish Australians have stood with us, many who should have been our allies, have not.
Either way, the bigger opportunity now is to demonstrate the power of resilience and self-reliance; to build our unique community with optimism. Those that already hate us will likely hate us more as their jealousy takes hold. For everyone else, we can be a source of admiration and inspiration; to once again be a light unto the nations.
Jason Rose is a Jewish dad living in Melbourne.