Familiar face in the community
'The increased rates of antisemitism is alarming and the NSW government has a responsibility to ensure the Jewish community is safe'
Marjorie O’Neill has been the Coogee MP since 2019 and has worked closely with the Jewish community in her electorate during the last four years.
The Labor candidate has identified safety and security as a concern for the Jewish community and she was proud to have supported the work of former MP Walt Secord in bringing in legislation to ban the public display of Nazi symbols across NSW.
“The increased rates of antisemitism is alarming and the NSW government has a responsibility to ensure the Jewish community is safe, while also doing whatever we can to eliminate antisemitism and hate of all kinds,” O’Neill told The AJN.
“We also all have a universal right to ensure our families and kids feel safe at school, and I’ll always advocate to make sure school safety is a high priority.”
O’Neill is a familiar face at Jewish communal organisations and schools and she said it has been a privilege getting to know so many members of the community.
“I have, in my time representing the local area, met many Jewish community and faith leaders including Rabbi Dovid Slavin and Laya Slavin of Our Big Kitchen, Rabbi Elozer Gestetner and Miri Gestetner of Coogee synagogue, Rabbi Mendel Kastel of Jewish House, as well as former CEO of the Jewish Board of Deputies Vic Alhadeff and the current CEO Darren Bark,” O’Neill said.
“I have worked with the Jewish community in the east on a range of issues, including housing, food security – in particular over COVID to ensure the most vulnerable in our community have the support they need. During this period we provided fresh food to organisations including COA and Jewish House to support the elderly and most vulnerable in our community.”
O’Neill believes education is vitally important and she is committed to restoring funding to all schools – public and private – the way the Gonski agreement was set out.
“The state government has not lived up to the requirements of Gonski and kids are missing out,” she said.
“I know most of us living here in the east place untold value on our local environment, local amenity and preserving our cosmopolitan local places and culture, while providing decent public transport so we can enjoy the local places that we need to go to. I’ll always work hard to ensure we have a beautiful place to live.”
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