Two steps forward, three back
Despite a Royal Commission, antisemitism persists, reminding Jewish Aussies of their stake in the nation’s future.
Sometimes it can feel like two steps forward, three steps back.
Following the Bondi Beach Chanukah massacre, we fought hard for a Royal Commission. The support we received from so many fellow Australians not only helped to secure that outcome but suggested that Australians were sick of the hatred and division of the previous two years.
Except, it seems not all are.
We read this week of choir members being uncomfortable performing with Jews in tribute to the victims of that antisemitic murder spree. We read of creatives supporting a man who called those victims “fascists” who were “impulsively mourned”. We read of more vandalism in Melbourne and an event defending a call for violence going ahead in Sydney.
It would seem that not even the knowledge that antisemitism is being probed at the highest level is enough to make those who espouse it think twice before hatefully injecting their poison into the public arena.
We’ve just emerged from a period during which we marked several important dates.
On Yom Hashoah, we remembered the horrors of where antisemitism led while others stood by in Europe. On Yom Ha’atzmaut, we rejoiced that the Jewish people will always have a national home so the Holocaust can never happen again. On Yom Hazikaron, we counted the tragic price of that freedom. And finally, on Anzac Day, as Australians we paid tribute to the sacrifices the members of Australia’s armed forces – Jews included – have made in ensuring we can live freely here.
That latter is particularly important. Yes, the Jews will always have Israel should things get bad enough here. But, as The AJN’s editor opines on page 2 this week, “Jewish Australians are an inseparable part of this nation. We helped to build it, we help to defend it and we are invested in its future.”
We cannot will those who choose hatred and division towards acceptance. But Australia is our home as much as anyone’s. We have a responsibility to do all we can to make it better – for us and for all Australians. That starts with contributing to the Royal Commission.
Because as special as Israel is to us, we can never allow things to escalate to the point that abandoning Australia is our only option.