OUR SAY

Whose voice?

Since the barbaric Hamas attacks of October 7 ... the Jewish community has experienced an explosion in unjust victim-blaming and a tsunami of antisemitic incidents.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces Jillian Segal as Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. Photo: Giselle Haber
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces Jillian Segal as Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. Photo: Giselle Haber

Jewish Australians last week greeted with relief the long-awaited announcement by the Albanese government of an antisemitism envoy.

Since the barbaric Hamas attacks of October 7, and the ensuing defensive actions by Israel, the Jewish community has experienced an explosion in unjust victim-blaming and a tsunami of antisemitic incidents.

So it was deeply dismaying, if predictable, that the Greens would loudly oppose the establishment of this office, with deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi dismissing the need for an antisemitism envoy. Faruqi claims the role is already covered by the Race Discrimination Commissioner, tasked with fighting all forms of racism.

While we obviously agree all forms of racism are evil, we remain emphatic that antisemitism is a toxically unique mutation. Jillian Segal’s post will be an effective watchdog, operating alongside the new Islamophobia envoy announced apparently to conform with the government’s obsession with symmetry in the midst of asymmetrical anti-Jewish hatred.

But even worse than the belligerence of the Greens, is the attack on Segal by the Jewish Council of Australia, which has described her as “a pro-war voice [who] risks breeding division, increasing Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, and ultimately making Jews less safe”.

Segal’s credentials as the immediate past president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry – and as a measured and respected figure experienced in dealing with antisemitism – are impeccable.

The leftist Jewish Council of Australia and its 600-strong membership, of course, are entitled to their views. But in the words of Zionist Federation of Australia CEO Alon Casutto, the Jewish Council is “an unelected and deceptively named fringe group”. It isn’t the first group in recent years to adopt a name suggesting – with or without intent – to those unfamiliar with the Jewish community of 116,000 Australians that it has broad representative status (despite what their name and acronym might suggest). The right-leaning Australian Jewish Association appears to have done the same.

But just to gauge how far out of touch the Jewish Council of Australia is from mainstream Jewish Australia, a petition launched by organisation J-United protesting the group’s stance has already garnered more than 6700 signatures in a few days. It says it all, really.

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