Billboard vandalism won’t silence community
Melbourne event to proceed as planned after United Hatzalah poster torn and burnt.
A billboard promoting a Melbourne community event featuring the founder of United Hatzalah of Israel has been vandalised in what organisers believe was an antisemitic act.
But Jewish leaders are vowing the community will not be intimidated into silence.
The billboard, advertising a 31 May event in Caulfield featuring United Hatzalah President and Founder Eli Beer, was found torn and burnt overnight.
The event, When Seconds Count, will go ahead as planned.
Australian Friends of United Hatzalah Executive Director Darya Rubenstein said the damage was particularly distressing given the organisation’s recent support for Australian victims of the Bondi Beach attack.
“After the Bondi attack, Australian Friends of United Hatzalah brought a psychotrauma unit from Israel to Sydney to support survivors, families, first responders and members of the community,” she said.
“This billboard was promoting an evening about saving lives, courage and unity. United Hatzalah is the opposite of division. Its volunteers come from all races, religions and backgrounds, working side by side and saving lives without discrimination.”
Rubenstein was unequivocal that the vandalism would not deter the organisation.
“To see that message torn and burnt like this is upsetting, but it will not stop us. We cannot allow hate or intimidation to decide when the Jewish community gathers, or when we speak proudly about Israel and the work of saving lives. Our response is not to retreat. It is to stand together calmly, proudly and with purpose.”
United Hatzalah Australia board member Dr Danny Lamm said the attack was consistent with a pattern of antisemitic behaviour that the community must refuse to accept as normal.
“Defacing a billboard for the most inclusive of all organisations is indicative of the hate this community faces,” he said.
“This is typical antisemitic behaviour, typical of what has been going on. I’ve never seen anything like this happen before. There have been a lot of signs for Jewish organisations and activities for years, and nothing like this has happened.”
Dr Lamm said the motivation was straightforward, if senseless. “They see Jewish, they see Israel, and it just ignites them,” he said.
“I don’t think they care. United Hatzalah has amongst its over 8000 volunteers the broadest spread of Israel’s citizens, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, male and female, servicing any person in trouble. Not only in Israel but worldwide, including in Australia, where earlier this year United Hatzalah dispatched a psychotrauma unit to assist victims of the Bondi Beach massacre.”
Dr Lamm was emphatic that the community must push back against every incident, however tempting it might be to shrug and move on.
“We have to respond every single time. There used to be this attitude to give up, not to give oxygen to provocative things. I think on the contrary, we have to respond every single time. We don’t tolerate it, and we don’t allow other people to just ignore it and tolerate it also. It cannot be part of normal discourse, normal behaviour, that it’s okay.”
Rabbi Daniel Rabin of Caulfield shule, which is co-sponsoring the Melbourne event, agreed the community must not allow such incidents to become routine.
“I wouldn’t say it’s becoming normal. I think it’s happening way too often, and we should not allow this to be something which is acceptable,” he said.
“We have to keep talking about it and calling it out and demanding whatever we can that people who do this will be prosecuted by the law.”
Rabbi Rabin said the attack likely reflected a blanket hostility towards anything connected with Israel.
“They think anything that has the word Israel or Jewish is fair game right now. There’s probably complete ignorance, and just any target which has any connection with Israel they believe is something which is a worthy cause to attack.”
He called on police to pursue those responsible, arguing that even low-level vandalism demanded a firm response.
“When you target even small acts of vandalism like this, if they can find the perpetrators, I think they will send a strong message that this will not be tolerated, and those who try and do these things will be caught and will face the full extent of the law.”
You can book here for When Seconds Count: An Evening with Eli Beer on Sunday 31 May, 7:30 PM, Caulfield.
And here is the link to book the Sydney event on Thursday 28 May, 7:30 PM, Bondi
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