Special Envoy to combat antisemitism calls for action

The Australian Jewish community is deep in grief following the Bondi terrorist attack on Sunday, that killed at least 15 people and injured over forty, and many have expressed anger that the federal Government should have heeded warnings about the lethal dangers of antisemitism.

Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal released her report on countering antisemitism in Australia in July, and the Government has only acted on some of her recommendations.

Speaking to The AJN, Segal said she understands the community’s frustration, “I sympathise with everyone and pass on my condolences to all those who have been family of those who have been killed and those have been injured. It’s a very natural sentiment, and I think what we have to do is consider what needs to be done now because that’s the most constructive way to approach this – the current terrible situation.

“The most constructive thing that can be done is for us to work out what are the measures that are the most urgent to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again. We have to learn from this terrible tragedy…. The whole community now understands the dangers of antisemitism, that it’s not just a Jewish community problem, but it’s a problem for the country and for the future of our nation,” she said.

The Government has acted on some initiatives before Segal’s plan was announced, including criminalising hate speech, creating a national student ombudsman to investigate universities, developing a university report card for the inclusivity of Jewish students and staff, and improved screening for antisemitism in immigration.