Our non-Jewish advocate
Drawing on his military experience, Scott understands the challenge of building trust in vulnerable communities.
The CEO of a charity dedicated to combating antisemitism was confronted with the harsh reality of Melbourne’s street protests when he heard chants of “death, death to the IOF” from his hotel near Swanston Street during his first day in the city.
Michael Scott, founder of the 2023 Foundation, travelled from Sydney to Melbourne this week to introduce his organisation to Victoria’s Jewish community during an eight-day visit of engagements.
“It’s outrageous behaviour for Jewish Australians, indeed reasonable non-Jewish Australians,” Scott said.
“If you’re thinking that you don’t recognise the values in your country of birth, you’re not Robinson Crusoe.”
Scott, a non-Jewish advocate with over 30 years of Australian Defence Force experience, established his foundation with the vision of “nurturing tomorrow’s non-Jewish upstanders, not bystanders” in the fight against what he calls “the modern manifestation of the world’s oldest hatred”.
While Scott is reasonably well known in Sydney’s Jewish and non-Jewish communities, his Melbourne visit represents a deliberate expansion of his advocacy work.
“I think the two most important places when it comes to Australia and Jewry are Sydney and Melbourne,” he explained.
During his visit, Scott is meeting with community security organisations, junior leaders, and speaking to individuals and organisations across Melbourne.
Drawing on his military experience, including service in Afghanistan, Scott understands the challenge of building trust in vulnerable communities.
“You build trust with a teaspoon, but you destroy it with a shovel,” he said, explaining his approach of “not taking anything for granted” when engaging with Melbourne’s Jewish community.
Scott’s advocacy was sparked by the events of October 7, 2023, when he began calling Jewish friends to check on their wellbeing.
“One of the messages that I heard repeatedly was really harrowing. Michael, you’re my only non-Jewish friend who has called me up and asked me, am I okay?” he recalled.
“For the Melbourne and Australian Jewish community, if you’ve been abandoned by a number of people you were formerly close with – fair weather friends – if you start to get attacked by people who are convinced that we’ve got it all wrong, who are batting for the other side, I have been too.”
Scott’s foundation aims to scale up its work across the Western world, as similar patterns of antisemitism emerge in places like New Zealand, Canada, the United States and other nations.