Anti-semitism in Melbourne: It is the epicentre

Melbourne has become the “epicenter of anti-Semitism”, with Jewish residents facing a “tsunami of hate”, a community leader has said.

Children are bullied in schools for being Jewish, and Nazi sympathizers use the guise of empathy for Palestine to spread hatred and vitriol.

Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, told Daily Mail Australia that the current environment for Melbourne’s Jewish residents was the worst it had ever seen following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.

“In the decades that I have fought against anti-Jewish hatred, I have never experienced anything like this frightening wave of vicious hostility, and this tsunami of hatred shows no signs of slowing,” he said. he declared.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook with reports of Jewish scrolls being torn from door jambs, ‘kidnapped’ posters being defaced, Israeli flags being removed from cars and urinated on, and Jewish businesses being defaced .

In Melbourne, neo-Nazis brandish an anti-Semitic banner before marching through Flinders Street station giving the now-banned Hitler salute.

Dr Abramovich said what was once considered “unthinkable” just a few years ago “is now happening before our eyes”.

A Jewish family in Melbourne told Daily Mail Australia their teenage daughter was targeted by high school students.

Her mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said a series of anti-Semitic incidents had been directed against her daughter since the beginning of the year, well before the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“He was sent swastikas online. A child approached her several times and told “Knock Knock” jokes, in which the butt of the jokes was “dead Jews,” she said.

“Another student came up to her and said: ‘I’m going to gas you and your whole family.’

The mother said once the school found out, students hid behind “all kinds of excuses,” including “ignorance.”

“However, the fact that they chose the Jewish child among them and were able to tell a joke in which the protagonist is a Nazi and the punchline is a Jew indicates that they know exactly what they are saying and doing,” she declared.

“Anti-Semitism is a horrible and ongoing scourge and I am aware, since speaking to a number of parents and teachers, that far-right influence is seeping into the consciousness of high school students through social media.

“It’s a terrible feeling to be targeted like this.”

Dr. Abramovich recently detailed cases of anti-Semitism in schools, in which “Jewish students who say this feel unwelcome and unsafe on campus” and young people confessed that they were “afraid to say to people that they are Jewish.

“Extremist language, comparing Israelis and Jews to Nazis, expressing support for the terrorist group Hamas, is becoming commonplace and spiraling out of control,” he said.

Leonard Hain, executive director of the Australian Council of Jewish Schools, said at least one school was instructed not to wear uniform if it wanted to avoid being identified as Jewish on the way to the classroom.

“Victorian police have increased patrols and are stationed outside schools and providing pick-up and drop-off,” he said.

“Each of our schools has increased security and put additional guards in place. »

Melbourne vandalism is comparable to Nazi Germany in the 1930s, when the doors of Jewish businesses were marked to deter Germans

Sarah Carter – mayor of Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s west – shared distressing photos on Monday after the Star of David was spray-painted on buildings and businesses in Footscray.

Senator James Paterson has referred to the Daily Mail Australia’s disturbing revelation that a group of masked men and women throwing banned Nazi salutes had stormed the popular Flinders Street station in the early hours of October 14.

Sarah Carter, mayor of Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s inner west, shared distressing photos on Monday after the Star of David was spray-painted on buildings and businesses in Footscray.

She said: “Let me condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the graffiti which has appeared in the center of Footscray today.

“We are one of Australia’s most successful multicultural communities and we stand for inclusion and against division.”

The graffiti was removed as soon as Ms. Carter’s office was alerted.

But this vandalism can be compared to Nazi Germany in the 1930s, when the doors of Jewish businesses were marked to deter Germans.

The data revealed Victoria had the highest number of incidents involving graffiti, vandalism and posters, and tied NSW for the highest number of physical assaults.

Dr Abramovich said what was once considered “unthinkable” just a few years ago “is now happening before our eyes”.

There are fears that the conflict in Israel and Gaza could worsen the situation at home. Sydney has also seen its share of violent and frightening incidents in the weeks since Hamas attacked Israel, essentially declaring war in the region.

Mike Burgess, director of security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), told a Senate Estimates hearing on October 23 that there was an increased likelihood of “spontaneous violence” at as the conflict continued.

‘IIf the nature of the situation worsens, serious enough as it is today, this is a factor that could change our security environment.

Senator James Paterson has referred to the Daily Mail Australia’s disturbing revelation that a group of masked men and women throwing banned Nazi salutes had stormed the popular Flinders Street station in the early hours of October 14.

“There have also been very worrying protests from groups affiliated with neo-Nazis, such as the National Socialist Network,” he said.

Mr Burgess revealed during the Senate Budget that at one point ASIO was spending half its time investigating right-wing militant groups and neo-Nazism.

“Over the past seven years, we have seen a trend of accounting for around 5 percent of our counterterrorism investigation workload, up to around 50 percent at parity with our other main threat, extremism violent Sunni,” he said. said.

“That figure is now down to about 70-30, so about 30 percent of our caseload is neo-Nazis. This represents approximately 70 percent of religiously motivated violent extremism, particularly Sunni extremism.

“The remainder, 30 percent, is ideologically motivated violent extremism and the bulk is nationalist and racist violent extremism.”

The latest annual report on antisemitism in Australia released by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry says 478 incidents were reported between October 2021 and September 2022.

The latest annual report on antisemitism in Australia released by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry says 478 incidents were reported between October 2021 and September 2022.

The data revealed Victoria had the highest number of incidents involving graffiti, vandalism and posters, and tied NSW for the highest number of physical assaults.

NSW had the highest number of reported incidents across all areas, including verbal and messaging violence.

But data has not yet been released that would confirm the concerns of Jewish community leaders: the recent conflict in the Middle East has resulted in increased violence in Australia.