Petition calls for Penny Wong not to represent Australia at Auschwitz
'Throughout her tenure, she [Wong] has not shown the level of understanding, empathy or compassion that our community expects and deserves'
A petition calling for foreign minister Penny Wong to be replaced as Australia’s representative at the 80th commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27 had garnered over 11,300 signatures as of Friday midday.
Wong and Attorney-general Mark Dreyfus have been chosen as the government’s representatives at the event.
However the petition started by business coach Janet Sernack states that Wong is “not the right person to represent us at this critical juncture”.
“For the Jewish Community of Australia, the upcoming 80th commemoration at Auschwitz is a deeply personal moment of immense gravity … It is our firm belief that our representation at such an emotionally charged event should reflect this sentiment aptly,” it reads.
“Throughout her tenure, she [Wong] has not shown the level of understanding, empathy or compassion that our community expects and deserves, especially during these troubling times where antisemitism is on the rise in Australia.
“This evident lack of sensitivity undermines her capability to duly represent our interests and preserve the dignity of the occasion.”
The petition also states that the deterioration of the “friendly and longstanding relationship between Australia and Israel” can be attributed largely to Senator Wong.
“The negative impacts of this strained relationship have trickled down to us, the Jewish community, leaving us feeling under threat,” it states.
“Our institutions and our people deserve better representation, especially at an event of such profound importance.”
The foreign minster has earned the ire of many in the Jewish community for changes in the government’s position on UN resolutions and stances in regard to Israel.
She called for a “clear timeline” to recognise a Palestinian state outside of a negotiated peace process during her speech to the UN General Assembly on September 27 last year.
Then in early December, she appeared to equate Israel with Russia and China during the Hawke Lecture at the University of South Australia.
“We expect Russia to abide by international law and end its illegal full-scale war on Ukraine. We expect China to abide by international legal decisions in the South China Sea. We also expect Israel to abide by international law,” she said then.
But communal identity Vic Alhadeff, who was the CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies between 2004 and 2021, has questioned the petition.
“The campaign is short-sighted, self-defeating and not a constructive way of doing business. In an ideal world everyone – everyone – should visit Auschwitz,” he said.
“As a community, we need to think carefully about whether or how we engage with those with whom we might disagree.”
A spokesperson for the foreign minister told The AJN, “Commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz reminds the world of the horrors of the Holocaust and the long history of Jewish persecution, and it comes in the context of the rise of antisemitism in Australia and around the world.
“Senator Wong believes it is important that all people, of all backgrounds and perspectives, join in marking this anniversary – to reject antisemitism in all its forms and maintain the determination that the atrocities of the Holocaust are never repeated.
“Throughout her life, Senator Wong has been an advocate for acceptance, tolerance and respect for all people, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexuality. That will never change.”
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