The resilience of the Jewish people remains undaunted
‘We are appalled and distressed by the violence inflicted upon our brothers, sisters and family and offer our unreserved support’
Margaret and I are currently on holiday in Spain and heard about the appalling antisemitic firebombing of Adass Yisroel synagogue in Melbourne.
Outside our hotel on the opposite side of the road, there is a panel with a number of Magen Davids drawn on it and an inscription that “Jews will persevere always, Am Yisrael Chai” but it is overwritten by a drawing equating Nazism with Israel/Jews. This brought into stark relief the tragic, horrific events in Melbourne.
It is more than ironic that the attack on the synagogue took place on the 86th anniversary of the day Yorta Yorta elder William Cooper led a march in Melbourne to protest Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass.
Survivors of the Shoah remember with great clarity, anxiety and sadness the days when synagogues and Jewish businesses were destroyed and burned, when they were ostracised and stripped of their belongings and livelihoods and eventually their friends and families were murdered for no other reason than that they were Jewish. The upsurge in antisemitism has gone on unchecked and many in the Australian Jewish community have become fearful with Jewish students feeling they must hide their Jewish identity to avoid confrontation.
Antisemitic incidents have escalated to an alarming degree with incidents in Sydney outside the Great Synagogue and in Woollahra in the past two weeks and now culminating in this egregious attack in a synagogue founded by Hungarian survivors and in which survivors and their descendants continue to pray.
We are appalled and distressed by the violence inflicted upon our brothers, sisters and family and offer our unreserved support. We hope that the perpetrators will be quickly brought to justice and that those in the halls of power will unequivocally condemn this horrendous act of violence. We call on them to reverse these appalling trends and assist us all to return to the time when we could walk the streets of our wonderful country proudly displaying our Judaism without fear.
There is perhaps one positive note. The Jewish community of Australia has many friends who have all spoken out condemning this attack and to support us.
This afternoon we were walking in a mall in Malaga, Spain and suddenly we noticed a man standing singing the Hatikvah. We joined him joyously singing with passersby showing no recognition or obvious interest. Nevertheless, this chance meeting was uplifting on a day of sadness and distress and showed that even in the most unlikely places the resilience of the Jewish people and that the hope of Israel remains undaunted.
Dr George Foster OAM is president of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants.
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