Waverley Council condemns Hamas assault, pledges $10,000 to community
'The unfolding crisis in the Middle East has caused great concern and distress for many in Waverley, including our large Jewish population,' Mayor Paula Masselos says
Waverley Council in Sydney has made $10,000 available to Jewish community organisations helping members of the community impacted by Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
Council resolved at its Tuesday night meeting to condemn “the horrific terrorist attack” and express deep sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of the dead and injured.
It also condemned the Opera House protest on Monday, October 9 at which protesters burned Israeli flags and chanted “gas the Jews”.
Waverley Council will also write to NSW Premier Chris Minns “calling on the NSW Government to take all steps necessary to ensure the safety of the NSW Jewish community”.
The motion was moved by Liberal Councillor Will Nemesh and seconded by Labor’s Steven Lewis. Both are members of the Jewish community.
Greens Councillors Dominic Wy Kanak and Ludovico Fabiano – the deputy mayor – voted against the resolution. However fellow Green Elaine Keenan voted in favour.
In a media release this week, Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos expressed her deep shock at the continued attacks on innocent civilians and said her thoughts are with the community at this time.
“The unfolding crisis in the Middle East has caused great concern and distress for many in Waverley, including our large Jewish population, and in the news and on social media, we are confronted with scenes which seem unimaginable from the peace and safety we enjoy in Australia,” she said.
“I express my deepest condolences to families who have loved ones who have been killed, injured, displaced by this dreadful violence or who are missing.
“We need to continue to look out for our fellow neighbours, acknowledging that many in our community are suffering deep pain at this time. I am pleased that Waverley Council can make some contribution towards helping our community at this horrific time.”
Liberal Councillor Leon Goltsman told The AJN the community “is hurting”.
“This isn’t just the Jewish community. The people of Waverley are hurting … every single one of us has Jewish family or friends or colleagues,” he said. “We need to send them a message that we are listening, that we understand, that we care.”
He praised the speeches “from all sides of politics” at Tuesday’s Council meeting. “This is not political at all. We need to be vigilant, we need to come together and unite as one.”
He said it was “disgraceful” that two Greens opposed the motion.
“You’ve got the Greens Councillors who actually went out of their way to try and get speakers against a motion that they don’t even know anything about. That is just absolutely appalling,” he said.
“This motion is a representation of the entire council. It should have been unanimous. And that to have them come along and divide us like that is just terrible.”
He added that Keenan “absolutely” deserves credit for supporting it and that he had reached out to her to show his gratitude.
Golstman also reiterated a call made by Nemesh earlier this week for Fabiano to resign as deputy mayor. “If he doesn’t do it by himself, then I think we as a council have a duty of care to pursue that and make that happen,” he said.
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