Antisemitism reaches a crisis point under Albanese following synagogue fire-bombing
The fire-bombing of a busy synagogue is heart-wrenching and deeply shocking and proof we are experiencing an unprecedented rise in antisemitism on Albanese’s watch, writes Sharri Markson.
NSW
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The fire-bombing of a busy synagogue in Australia in 2024 is heart-wrenching and deeply shocking.
The mere thought that Jewish Australians aren’t safe praying peacefully in our place of worship is unfathomable and unacceptable.
Australia is meant to be the epitome of a successful multicultural society but we have watched that erode before our very eyes as racism against jews has been tolerated.
The Jewish community has warned repeatedly that antisemitic incidents are exploding.
We have begged political leaders and police to take this more seriously.
I personally have implored the prime minister on Sky News virtually every night for the past 14 months to take action on this despicable trend before it’s too late.
Yet, as little action is taken, antisemitic terrorist incidents, like these, have only escalated in frequency and severity. Australia’s Jewish community is being terrorised and intimidated.
In response to the firebombing of the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne, the Prime Minister uttered condemnation of the attack on Friday at a press conference, in a voice that lacked emotion and heart.
He also said this:
“Antisemitism is something that has been around for a long period of time, of course. But antisemitism has been on the rise, we’ll call it out wherever we see it.”
It’s a statement that infuriates me and should anger every Australian because, for our beautiful country of Australia, it’s simply untrue.
Yes, antisemitism has been around for thousands of years, but not in Australia it hasn’t. Not in my lifetime, it hasn’t.
We are experiencing an unprecedented rise in Australia in antisemitism since October 7 2023. It’s on Albanese’s watch.
Fifteen months ago, it was perfectly safe for Jews in Australia. We didn’t live with daily fear and anxiety of what may unfold next.
For Albanese to say that antisemitism has been around for a long time, in response to questions about the firebombing of a synagogue, downplays the severity of what jewish Australians are experiencing.
He is also washing his hands of responsibility for this racism crisis and abdicating his leadership on this issue.
He has been the prime minister through the entire period where antisemitism has arisen, been tolerated and condoned, festered and then exploded to reach a genuine crisis point.
It’s been at a crisis point for months.
As Jews, we know it. We feel it.
We feel this threat intensely and deeply. It’s devastating because, as a community, we want to live in peace and in cohesion with all races and nationalities, with the deepest respect for all political views.
While a synagogue on fire is the most severe incident we’ve seen, it’s far from isolated.
On Wednesday, the Great Synagogue in Sydney was in lockdown after pro-Palestinian protests gathered outside.
Two Jews holding the Israeli flag outside the synagogue were outrageously detailed and then moved on by police.
Not the protesters who were protected by police and allowed to intimidate and antagonise jews gathered inside the synagogue.
There hasn’t been strong enough political leadership to unequivocally say that protests won’t be tolerated outside a synagogue; this sort of protest is only against Jews at their place of worship - it’s nothing to do with the middle east and it cannot be tolerated. It is wrong and unAustralian to simply protest the jewish faith.
But when no action is taken, one thing leads to another and you can see how a synagogue is firebombed.
Everyone could see we were in dangerous territory, including Peter Dutton.
He said that he would like to “pretend that this wasn’t expected, or that it couldn’t be predicted, but I can’t do that to the Australian people.”
And even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Albanese publicly that he was inviting terrorism with his foreign policy changes including votes at the United Nations.
Not only has the Albanese Government failed to tackle this crucial social cohesion issue but Albanese and Penny Wong have, I believe, emboldened the pro-Hamas protesters.
In my strong view, they need to tone down their language.
Wong criticises Israel more than she does Hamas.
She demands Israel recognise a Palestinian state, even though a terrorist group, Hamas is the current governing body in Gaza.
She continues to support anti-Israel United Nations resolutions, but where is her UN resolution for the hostages to be brought home?
It seems this government has an unhealthy obsession with criticising Israel when there can be no equivalence between the democracy of Israel that abides by the rule of law and the barbaric and bloodthirsty terrorist group Hamas that slaughtered babies, children and gunned down teenagers at a music festival.
The Albanese government could have changed its language; it could have publicly said over and over again that the war would end if Hamas returned the hostages.
It could have publicly supported Israel in its existential fight for survival as it endeavours to defend itself from terror attack on seven fronts.
Instead they’ve allowed moral confusion to reign supreme and allowed sections of the public to confuse Israel with the terror regime they seek to eliminate.
This moral confusion has emboldened the pro-Hamas agitators, rather than calmed the situation down.
The Prime Minister’s view may be that voters don’t care about this issue, that they think the crazies on both sides have been killing each other for centuries.
But if he thinks mainstream Australians don’t care about the antisemitism and lawlessness that’s unfolding in our country, he’s dead wrong.
Australians hate that our peaceful, accepting, tolerant, inclusive country is being torn apart by radical racists bringing the hatred of Hamas to our beautiful streets.
The horrendous moral confusion of the Albanese Government has to end.
We just want to live in peace, safety and security.
Anthony Albanese, this shouldn’t be too much to ask of you.
Sharri Markson is the host of prime time opinion show ‘Sharri’ 8pm Monday to Thursday on Sky News Australia.
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Originally published as Antisemitism reaches a crisis point under Albanese following synagogue fire-bombing
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