21 Sydney mayors stand together for unity

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The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) has applauded a statement condemning violence and antisemitism and calling for unity that was signed by 21 mayors across Sydney.

The statement followed a Thursday roundtable convened by Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne and Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun, to which every mayor in the Sydney area was invited.

The statement reads, “We … are united in calling out violence, hatred, and extremism. Our communities are welcoming and connected and made stronger by our diverse views, faiths, backgrounds, cultures and identities. The acts of hate and violence seen across Sydney must be condemned in the strongest terms, while these brazen and cowardly acts require prosecution with the full force of the law.

“We call on our communities to stand together, as we are standing together, to support one another during these challenging times. We unequivocally condemn the alarming rise in antisemitic attacks as well acknowledge the broader escalation of racism and violence against racial and faith-based communities including Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists.

“Sydney is a vibrant and proudly multicultural and multifaith city. Local government plays a crucial role in fostering this inclusivity among multicultural communities, where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued. We strongly state that local government is for local issues, and that foreign affairs is not the remit or expertise of Councils.”

The statement also calls on the NSW and federal governments to partner with councils in combating hatred, invest in multicultural and interfaith education programs, strengthen legislation to combat hate crimes, support local government to develop anti-racism and social cohesion strategies and policies and provide security infrastructure and resources for at-risk communities.

Also among the signatories are the mayors of Woollahra, Randwick, Northern Beaches, North Sydney and Ku-ring-gai Councils.

JBD president David Ossip applauded the initiative. “This was a great show of unity in the face of hatred,” he said.

“We also welcome the practical commitments from today’s meeting, including events designed to build greater cohesion and better intercultural relationships.”

Ossip told The AJN, “This meeting brought together many of the leaders that our community will recognise as friends, but it also included those who might be less well-known allies.

“Domestic terrorists are trying to use our community to divide our state, but the unity achieved today shows that they won’t win.

“We need leadership at every level of government bring the antisemitism crisis under control.”