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Finally

What is also significant is that the vile attacks in Dover Heights and Maroubra occurred after the Israel-Hamas hostage-ceasefire deal was announced.

A burnt out car with antisemitic graffiti is towed away in Dover Heights, Sydney, Friday, January 17, 2025. Photo: AAP Image/Neve Brissendeni
A burnt out car with antisemitic graffiti is towed away in Dover Heights, Sydney, Friday, January 17, 2025. Photo: AAP Image/Neve Brissendeni

After two more disgusting antisemitic attacks in Sydney in the past week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has finally convened national cabinet to deal with the issue.

It’s an action he should have taken long ago. As recently as last Friday, Albanese continued to ignore the urging of Opposition politicians, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and even the special envoy to combat antisemitism that he himself appointed. This was despite two shules being targeted the previous week, two attacks in Queens Park, two attacks in Woollahra, the December firebombing of a Melbourne shule, October’s Bondi arson attacks and finally the attempted firebombing of a home in Dover Heights.

Maroubra seems to be the straw that has broken the camel’s back – and hopefully, it’s not too late.

What is also significant is that the vile attacks in Dover Heights and Maroubra occurred after the Israel-Hamas hostage-ceasefire deal was announced.

Albanese had hoped for a “lowering of the temperature” in Australia following last week’s signing of the agreement. However as we know well, the temperature was never up because of the war; that served only as a pretext for antisemites to come out of the sewer and brazenly act on their malevolent hate, encouraged by the weakness at home and mixed messaging on Israel shown by our federal leadership.

Ostensibly pro-Palestinian protests also took place over the weekend, despite the ceasefire that the demonstrators have supposedly been calling for being realised. Clearly bringing peace to the people of Gaza was never the objective of these people, which of course we knew by their genocidal, antisemitic chants of “from the river to the sea”. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is right to have called for their cessation in Melbourne.

Decent Australians are waking up, but more need to speak out about what is happening in our country. For their own sake as well as ours. Because while Jews have been the intended targets of these attacks, non-Jews have often been the actual victims, with their cars and houses daubed and destroyed.

So share this editorial with your non-Jewish friends and colleagues. We all have a responsibility to bring about a better Australia – one that is socially harmonious, tolerant, and most importantly, safe for all.

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