Parks sullied with graffiti
The words 'Israel free Palestine' were scrawled on a cement wall in Tingira Memorial Park in Rose Bay.
Graffiti with disturbing antisemitic messages was spotted by Jewish passers-by in two different parks on August 24 in the Woollahra Local Government Area, reported to the local council, and promptly removed.
The words “Israel free Palestine” were scrawled on a cement wall in Tingira Memorial Park in Rose Bay – a park dedicated to the memory of all who served in the navy training vessel HMAS Tingira, which was moored off Rose Bay from 1912 to 1927.
And on a wooden railing along 60m of fence at Christison Park in Vaucluse, phrases were drawn in green capital letters, including ‘Sanction Israel + the far right for their crimes against Judaism, God + the world’.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) CEO Michele Goldman told The AJN, “No member of the Jewish community should be forced to walk past messages of hate in their own neighbourhood”.
“Since July, we’ve worked with councils across the state to ensure the removal of more than 20 instances of antisemitic graffiti.
“Councils have overwhelmingly responded swiftly to assist in removing this graffiti when they are notified.”
Woollahra deputy mayor Sean Carmichael described both concerning incidents as “juvenile vandalism, and it changes nothing overseas – it just ruins people’s days”.
He stressed that the most effective tool council has is “to deny the vandals any exposure of their message, by wiping it out the moment it is first found”.
“So, in the case of Christison Park, and within less than two hours of this material being reported to me, staff had most helpfully painted over all 65m of it, and they will be back later to sandblast its last traces.
“If more of this comes up, please do let the council know exactly where it is immediately, and it can be rapidly dealt with.”
Meanwhile, Bondi Beach has been chosen by some pro-Palestine activist groups, including the Randwick Botany Greens, as the location for a “Solidarity with the Sumud flotilla” rally, scheduled for 10am on Fathers Day.
Posters promoting the event on social media call for attendees to bring keffiyehs, banners, kites, and kayaks to the rally.
Goldman said JBD is aware of it, and she described it as “a wildly inappropriate use of public space, designed to provoke and harass the many Jewish residents who call Bondi home”.
“We’ll be contacting Waverley Council, to strongly urge them not to allow this event to proceed at this location.”