We’re two Jewish girls and the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, residing and elevating our households in Caulfield. Regardless of our age distinction of greater than a decade, we join by way of our shared experiences as moms, Orthodox Jewish feminists, and people who actively take part within the native charities and synagogues in our neighbourhood.
With the conflict raging since October 7 between Hamas and Israel, there isn’t any denying that tensions in Australia have been extraordinarily excessive. There was a stark rise in anti-Semitism in our nation — and Jewish folks, like ourselves, are feeling weak and frightened.
For the reason that conflict broke out greater than two months in the past, we’re extra vigilant and on edge when attending Jewish communal occasions, taking our households to synagogue, or being brazenly Jewish in public. The safety at our kids’s faculties has been tightened, and being brazenly Jewish on-line may be difficult. Issues really feel tense and trigger us to suppose twice earlier than residing our common lives as Jews.
Inside this context, we now have learn the protection from Crikey final week about a video exhibiting protesters on the Sydney Opera Home, which was shared by the Australian Jewish Affiliation on X (previously Twitter) and captioned as protesters saying “gasoline the Jews”. The video was seen tens of millions of occasions and prompted a fast change to New South Wales’ hate speech laws.
Crikey reported that there are severe doubts concerning the particular chant referencing the Holocaust captured within the footage, and cites interviews with forensic audio specialists, new unedited footage and an unbiased audio report.
Nevertheless, when Crikey’s article was posted on X, feedback quickly appeared below different customers’ posts comparable to “Zionists lie by way of their enamel. It was at all times a falsehood from the outset”, “Why do they like to gaslight and play as sufferer (once more) sssseeeshhh”, and “No marvel they by no means present any proof of all of the claims they make concerning the Oct 7 assault”.
We’re Australian Jews, not Israelis, however we now have family and friends who reside in Israel and are following the information carefully. The battle doesn’t really feel removed from us, and we each know individuals who have been murdered or displaced for the reason that conflict broke out.
We consider it’s vital to name out misinformation. We acknowledge Crikey’s very important function as an unbiased media outlet that actively publishes tales that different media organisations would possibly keep away from as a consequence of lobbying, worry of upsetting advertisers, or political issues. Supporting unbiased media is important.
We’re additionally aware of the facility of misinformation. A short Google search reveals the prevalence of pre-existing conspiracy theories about Jews, with web sites that includes anti-Semitic tropes and hate, a lot of it predating the onset of the present conflict. There are literally thousands of web sites devoted to downplaying the Holocaust, questioning the variety of casualties, whether or not the gasoline chambers existed, or claiming that Jews make issues up for sympathy.
Nevertheless, on this local weather of heightened anti-Semitism, and at a time of deep misery for Australian Jews, to attract a line between “fuck the Jews” and “gasoline the Jews” — even when there’s a legal distinction — downplays the expertise of anti-Semitism that Jews are genuinely navigating, granting permission for others to doubt the gravity of Jews’ present lived experiences and fears in Australia.
As progressive girls, we strongly oppose violence, and advocate for equal alternatives for Israelis and Palestinians to reside in peace with out the fixed menace of assaults and violence.
The rally in Sydney happened on October 9, simply two days after the Hamas assaults towards Israel. Israel’s floor marketing campaign had not but begun in Gaza, and Israelis had been nonetheless counting their useless. Towards this backdrop, our Jewish group right here was in shock and mourning.
Take into account that Australia’s Jewish group possesses the best variety of Holocaust survivors per capita outdoors of Israel. This group carries intergenerational trauma that considerably influences our lived expertise.
Listening to folks chant “fuck the Jews” and seem to burn an Israeli flag on the steps of the Opera Home was terrifying. We all know individuals who determined to not ship their youngsters to their Jewish faculties the subsequent day, and safety in any respect our communal establishments was tightened.
Whereas we help the correct of pro-Palestine protesters to specific their opinions by way of peaceable activism, it is very important emphasise that participating in vilification or violence isn’t acceptable.
We’re involved that Crikey, with its article specializing in potential misinformation, unintentionally empowered those that deny the urgent actuality of rising anti-Semitism in Australia. This alone is a supply of apprehension for us.
