Gold Coast Jewish community solidarity gathering hears about grief over deaths in Israel, dangers of anti-Semitism

An emotional Gold Coast event has heard warnings about the danger of anti-Semitism amid grief over the tragic loss of life in Israel. Here’s what was said.

A section of the crowd at the Gold Coast community solidarity gathering in Robina.

Hundreds of people have gathered on the Gold Coast to show solidarity with the Jewish community following terrorist attacks on Israel and anti-Semitic protests here in Australia.

At a ceremony in Robina speakers prayed for peace, spoke of their grief and horror following Hamas attacks on October 7 and relayed fears for their own safety after anti-Semitic chanting at protests in Sydney.

Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies President Jason Steinberg said the community on the Gold Coast was “blanketed in grief” amid “one of the darkest times for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

“In Queensland and across Australia we’ve had an overwhelming outpouring of sympathy and support for Israel,” Mr Steinberg said.

“ … But we’ve also been shocked by the radical, passionate and quick jump by anti-Semites coming from all sides to attack our community.

“In Queensland we’ve not seen overt attacks against our community.

“The majority of us are worried though, holding our collective breath.”

Community members at the Gold Coast community solidarity gathering in Robina. Picture: Keith Woods.

In an emotional address, Rabbi Adi Cohen from Temple Shalom on the Gold Coast told the story of a young boy who was murdered by Hamas on his fifth birthday.

“Two nights ago there was a brief, short and sad funeral in Israel,” Rabbi Cohen said.

“Eitan was murdered. His parents were murdered. His sister was taken as a hostage to Gaza. There was no one to say Kaddish for him from the immediate family.

“So hundreds of people from Israel turned up at his funeral to participate in the Mourners’ Kaddish.

“Eitan was five.”

A student, Ruby Melkman, who arrived back on the Gold Coast from Australia just days ago, spoke of spending her last week in the country in a Tel Aviv bomb shelter, where she felt the terrible thud of a missile strike.

“The feeling of the missile hit was something I can’t describe,” she said.

“My friend was in the shelter in the other building. We texted each other to say ‘I love you’, just in case anything happened to either one of us.”

Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek and Rabbi Adi Cohen at the Gold Coast community solidarity gathering in Robina. Picture: Keith Woods.

Holocaust survivor Peter Baruch at the Gold Coast community solidarity gathering in Robina. Picture: Keith Woods.

Maya Chester, whose children Noa and Tamar were also in Tel Aviv on October 7, spoke of her fears for the future after the shocking events in which the Somerset College students were caught up.

“They are both safe now with their father in London, rushed out of Israel on a last minute flight before the skies closed,” Ms Chester said.

“We are lucky, but our neighbour in Israel was buried yesterday, brutally murdered while celebrating peace in a music festival, only 17 years old.

“We have all seen the rallies the day after the horrific massacre, the celebration of the deaths of children, of entire families, calling for the extermination of Jews, of me, of my daughters, and I am scared.

“This might seem harsh but tonight, when you tuck your kids to sleep, soft and warm in their beds, spare a prayer to all those mums who can’t do that any more, or the children who no longer have parents to kiss goodnight.

“I am so lucky to get to hug my kids soon here in Australia, but are they really safe?”

Gold Coast Hebrew Congregation President David Rebibou with Councillor Hermann Vorster at the Gold Coast community solidarity gathering in Robina. Picture: Keith Woods.

The gathering was also addressed by Mayor Tom Tate, Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek, Division 11 councillor Hermann Vorster and Logan MP Linus Power.

Cr Vorster said that anti-Semitism had “no place” in the world, and said the challenge was to ensure “the roots of evil” did not find their way into any other community.

An emotional Mr Langbroek spoke about how his own mother had suffered persecution due to her Jewish roots when journeying to Australia in 1962.

He said he was proud to have a vibrant Jewish community in his Surfers Paradise electorate.

“You’re part of our community, we are one community, it’s a multicultural community. This is a test, we will pass it. We grieve with you, we mourn with you, and we will fight with you to defeat this evil.”

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