Hostages Memorial Melbourne

Messages of pride and standing up

Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann of the Ark Centre in Hawthorn told the rally "Stand up. Don't step back. That's not what we do".

6-10-24 Rally at Immigration Bridge, Southbank, Melbourne. Around 600 people attended a rally in Melbourne in support of the Jewish community, Israel and the rights of Jews to feel safe in the Melbourne CBD. Photo: Peter Haskin
6-10-24 Rally at Immigration Bridge, Southbank, Melbourne. Around 600 people attended a rally in Melbourne in support of the Jewish community, Israel and the rights of Jews to feel safe in the Melbourne CBD. Photo: Peter Haskin

Around 600 Melbourne Jews and their supporters gathered at the Southbank end of the Immigration Bridge on Sunday for a Hostages Memorial and Commemoration.

There were Liberal Party politicians, a Rabbi and a representative of Mel Iran, a pro-Shah Iranian group.

Joel Kuper, one of the event organisers, said the Jewish community has become accustomed to tolerate a certain threat level, focused on defence as opposed to calling out the violence enabling policies.

“We’ve been gaslit into being ever thankful for any ‘support’ but it has cost our community dearly. Ultimately we in the community need to stand up and be more courageous” he said.

Kuper also had a message for the Victoria Police Commissioner, Shane Patton.

“Put on a kippah and casual clothes and walk down Swanston St from the State Library to Flinders St, walk a mile in our shoes, and let us know how safe he feels”.

Liberal candidate for Macnamara, Benson Saulo said Australia lost its innocence 48 hours after the October 7 atrocities when antisemitic chants were made at the Sydney Opera House.

“We saw flags being burning, chants that many of us of my age have never heard before, but probably run deep in your memories and your lived memories of your families calling for the death and destruction of Jews and of Israel. We can’t forget those 48 hours … we should have seen leadership, and yet we did not” he told the crowd.

Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann of the Ark Centre in Hawthorn told the rally “Stand up. Don’t step back. That’s not what we do”.

He recounted the story of a school student in his community who was being bullied at school after October 7. He responded by going to school wearing a kippa and tzitzit and the bullying subsided.

“The Jewish way is to show everybody that you are proud of your Jewishness and you will not back down” Rabbi Kaltmann said.

Former federal Liberal MP for Goldstein, Tim Wilson, spoke against the upsurge in antisemitism in Australia since October 7, saying “I have proud Armenian heritage and I know the worst of the scourge of ancient prejudice, just as you do. your fight is my fight, it’s our fight together”.

A representative of the Mel Iran Iranian group which opposes the Islamic regime in Tehran and supports the return of the Shah, said the peoples of Israel and Iran are both victims of terrorism and called for sanctions on the regime and helping empower the Iranian people to overthrow the ruling regime.

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