Victorian leaders gather under sukkah

Political leaders from both sides of Victorian politics joined Melbourne’s Lord Mayor under a sukkah next to State Parliament on Wednesday, where antisemitism dominated the speeches.

The sukkah at Gordon Reserve is the centrepiece of Sukkah in the City, an annual event organised by Rabbi Chaim Herzog of Chabad of Melbourne CBD.

“This is a big landmark location in the heart of Melbourne, it’s very important to show Jewish identity, and especially in this time that we’re going through in Melbourne,” Rabbi Herzog said.

Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece referred to the attack on an Israeli restaurant and the attempted arson attack on the East Melbourne Shule, and said the City of Melbourne had changed the way it dealt with hate.

“We’ve taken a whole new approach to tackling antisemitism, tackling hate. It starts with really practical things, like the fact that when somebody reports antisemitic content and materials around the city, we get it down in one hour,” he said.