Standing up to be heard
Jewish Australians are sharing painful testimonies, but also courage and defiance, at the Royal Commission.
Following the release last week of its interim report, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has this week got down to business.
There have been some concerns from members of the Jewish community as to the scope of the interim report, but as we have seen in the public hearings so far this week, there is much more to be said before Commissioner Virginia Bell tables her final document.
Many of the testimonies that have been given are truly heartbreaking.
A woman being told the alleged Bondi terrorists should have killed more Jews. Shouts of “f**k the Jews” and “kill the Jews” in a Jewish area of Melbourne on the anniversary of Kristallnacht. A man wearing a yarmulke being called a “dirty f**king pig Jew” and being spat on in the face.
Too many stories of public antisemitic abuse where bystanders did nothing. Synagogue staff reluctant to go to work. And a crying eight-year-old girl telling her mother, “When I come to Bondi, I think about dying.”
It’s no wonder witnesses have expressed their fears about whether Australia will be safe for their children and are thinking about a “Plan B” should they be forced to flee the country they love.
But among the heartbreak, defiance.
ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin declaring, “I’m going down with the ship … I will continue to fight for the future of this country.”
A Jewish father declaring, “It’s time we stand up,” despite being threatened online for testifying.
A businessman refusing to remove his kippah because “if we do that, we let the bastards win.”
Every single witness who has appeared this week is a hero.
They are heroes for summoning up the courage to appear, for saying enough is enough and pushing back against the hate, and for shining a light and sharing their experiences of what it is like to be a Jewish Australian in 2026. They have our utmost admiration and thanks.
Commissioner Bell and her team are also to be commended for the appropriate and sensitive way in which they have handled those giving evidence.
Much is still uncertain regarding how this will all play out.
But after two and a half years of hell, Australia is listening. Our story is finally being told.