Jewish woman’s nightmare Uber journey
Melbourne mother writes to PM after her daughter was trapped by a driver she believes was antisemitic.
A Melbourne mother is writing directly to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after her daughter was subjected to what she believes was antisemitic harassment and false imprisonment during an Uber ride from Box Hill Institute.
The 29-year-old nursing student, who was wearing a name tag displaying her Hebrew name, Chana, endured a terrifying 25-minute journey during which the driver allegedly repeatedly questioned her ethnicity and locked her inside the vehicle when she tried to escape.
“Where are you from? Where are your parents from? Your grandparents from? What’s your ethnicity?” the driver demanded, according to the mother, who spoke to The AJN on condition of anonymity.
When the young woman attempted to leave the vehicle at one point, the driver refused.
“She tried to open one of the doors, and it was locked. She couldn’t get out,” her mother said.
The driver, became increasingly aggressive, stating “No, you’re not getting out” and “Who the hell do you think you are?”
An Uber spokesperson said the company does not tolerate any discriminatory or abusive behaviour and has reached out to the passenger.
“We are thoroughly investigating this matter,” the spokesperson said.
“We are deeply committed to the safety of everyone who uses the Uber platform, including both riders and driver partners. Our Community Guidelines clearly explain what behaviour isn’t appropriate and what will cause someone to lose access to their Uber account.”
The AJN asked Uber what action, if any, is being taken about the driver and whether he is still working for the company.
They said they couldn’t provide that information for privacy reasons
The incident has left the nursing student severely traumatised.
“She didn’t sleep Thursday night, she didn’t sleep Friday night, she didn’t sleep Saturday night,” her mother revealed.
“She said she just kept replaying it over and over in her mind, did I do the right thing? Did I do the wrong thing?”
The young woman has suffered migraines since the incident and has sought counselling.
Victoria Police “were not interested at all. Didn’t care, didn’t want to know,” the mother said.
In contrast, she said the Australian Federal Police’s antisemitism hotline responded immediately and professionally.
“They were fantastic. They wanted to know all the details, word for word, exactly what happened. [They said] here’s your reference number,” the mother said.
She told The AJN she’s writing to Prime Minister Albanese in an attempt to get him to understand that this is the sort of thing that is happening to Jews in Australia.
The family believes the driver may have been assessing how long it would be before the student was reported missing, as he asked, “What time do you get to college and what time do you get home? What time are you expected home?”
“It’s disgraceful. It’s beyond disgraceful,” she said.
“The thing that saved her is she didn’t fight back. She was very quiet, very passive.”
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission said the ride was not a service, it was intimidation.
“This is part of a wider pattern in Melbourne, open season on anyone who is visibly Jewish or carries a Jewish name. We’ve seen it on trains where boys are hunted, at restaurants stormed by mobs, and now in a rideshare that should deliver you home but instead delivers fear” he said..
The family has now arranged private transport and will no longer use Uber services.