IN THE MEDIA
The government’s vilification of Israel has led to a terror attack on place of worship
Dec 7, 2024 | Joel Burnie
Daily Telegraph – 7 December 2024
The arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea on December 6 was an outrage recalling some of the darkest episodes of human history.
Attacking a synagogue does not only profane a sacred place, it is the ultimate expression of hatred for the entire Jewish community. Desecrating sacred spaces undermines our social fabric and cohesion as well as the foundation of our liberal democratic and multicultural society.
This is just the latest incident in the unprecedented wave of antisemitism that has swept this country since the October 7 attacks last year, including disgraceful chants, doxxing, assaults, demands for the destruction of the Jewish state, and protests at synagogues, including on December 4 in Sydney. According to newly released Executive Council of Australian Jewry statistics, antisemitic acts are up more than 300% since October 7 of last year.
The rot set in early, with the disgraceful scenes at the Sydney Opera House on October 9 last year. The sails were lit up in the colours of the Israeli flag to show support for our Jewish community, but Jews were warned to stay away for their own safety, while a mob chanted chilling antisemitic slogans. The only person arrested was trying to fly an Israeli flag – a lawful act.
This, sadly, set a precedent that has been regularly emulated since. The police are there to protect people acting lawfully – it is not good enough for them to be moved on or arrested “for their own safety” due to fear of what lawbreakers may do to them. The police must, instead, act against the lawbreakers. It is fine to say they have no other option due to limited resources, but the net effect is that police have become largely ineffective in combatting the illegal victimisation of our Jewish community.
When racism like this goes practically unchecked, it is almost inevitable that escalations like this potentially murderous arson attack on a synagogue will occur. We urge all the relevant authorities to learn this lesson, and to take all possible steps to crack down on this malignant activity.
The constant vilification of Israel in the media, on social media, on university campuses, by the Greens, and yes, by our government, certainly plays a role in inciting this antisemitism.
There is no doubt that there is large-scale devastation and tragedy in Gaza. However, the cause is the cynical, illegal Hamas human shield tactics, after the terror group’s October 7 attacks, and its promises to repeat them again and again, giving Israel no choice but to do whatever it takes to destroy Hamas’ military capacity.
It is certainly unacceptable for anti-Israel and antisemitic groups to cynically use this Hamas-wrought tragedy to advance their own hateful agendas in ways that destroy the well-being of the Jewish community.
The arson attack on the synagogue gives every impression of being an act of terrorism and must be treated with the seriousness accorded to such acts. Terrorism can be defined as organised actions that use illegal violence to spread fear for political purposes.
We welcome PM Anthony Albanese’s statement that counter-terror police will be involved in this investigation, and the authorities must of course spare no effort to bring the perpetrators to justice. Yet the authorities, from our government down, must also change the way they deal with this entire issue. Statements that there is no place for antisemitism in our community are welcome, but it is well past time there was genuinely adequate action to back them up.
It is simply unacceptable that Australia, a country that prides itself on its successful multiculturalism, is becoming a place where Jews no longer feel safe.
