Praise from university Jewish chaplain
Despite the challenges, Rabbi Broh said he has "such tremendous nachas".
The Jewish chaplain for three Melbourne universities has praised the resilience and inner strength of Jewish students since October 7.
Rabbi Bochi Broh, director of Chabad on Campus, who covers Melbourne, Monash and Deakin universities, has been at the forefront of supporting students through this tumultuous period.
“Once October 7 hit, it was actually just a different world. I was thrown into a place where because I was a Jewish chaplain – which means I’m an official staff member – I had more wiggle room, and I had a responsibility to make sure the Jewish students were safe,” he said.
“There were still some angry, scary people who were very antisemitic. And it was serious – students were definitely not safe here and didn’t feel safe.”
The situation became so volatile that Rabbi Broh had to take extraordinary measures.
“At some periods of time, I myself had to call the police and stay on the phone to them because some of the protests were just not peaceful, to say the least,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Rabbi Broh said he has “such tremendous nachas”.
“[The] majority of students stood up and became stronger, gathered more into tight communities,” he said.
“A lot of them actually started wearing a Magen David necklace.”
But Rabbi Broh says it is still not comfortable “seeing your home country being accused of every crime in the world every single day, and people chanting things”.
Looking to the future, he remains cautiously optimistic, as despite the ongoing challenges, his faith in the next generation of Jewish leaders has been reinforced.
“The future of Australian Jewry, or at least Melbourne Jewry, is a bright one, because the students here are strong and they’re proud,” he said.
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