Opinion: Curse of anti-Semitism makes demands of all Australians

A recent upsurge of anti-Semitic deeds and words asks serious questions of all Australians, writes Keith Woods

This column did some reading over the weekend.

One piece I read was chilling.

It spoke of the power and, repeatedly, the supposed wealth of Jewish people. How they were essentially a privileged group within society, which pulled strings behind-the-scenes to wield an outsized and nefarious influence.

Shockingly, the article I was reading was not from the pages of a history book.

It was not published in 1930s Germany.

Rather, they were the words of an author in what would be considered a mainstream Australian publication.

The piece was prompted by the author’s unhappiness with proposals from the Federal Government’s Special Envoy to Combat anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal.

Flanked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Ms Segal last Thursday presented a report that made wide-ranging recommendations to help stamp out the anti-Semitism scourge.

“As we know, as the Prime Minister said, anti-Semitism is not new and it didn’t start with the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October but we have seen a very troubling, deeply troubling rise in anti-Semitic incidents and behaviour at home since then. In the space of just a year, reported incidents increased over 300 per cent,” Ms Segal said.

Special Envoy to Combat anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a press conference in Sydney. Picture: Thomas Lisson.

Among the recommendations was that arts bodies and universities would face losing taxpayer funding if they failed to combat anti-Semitism.

This caused a particular outrage among many, who have complained it is a threat to free speech. Which is untrue of course – the only threat was to taxpayer hand-outs upon which many ‘arts’ world figures appear to rely.

An arts world which, as it happens, seems little concerned by the actual silencing of creatives - if they happen to be Jewish.

Take singer-songwriter Deborah Conway. As this masthead reported on Monday, Ms Conway has recently been refused bookings by several Victorian venues.

One of 600 Jewish Australian artists, academics and writers whose names, photos and social media details were leaked online, Ms Conway has repeatedly been the target of protests by activist groups.

Venues have blamed safety concerns for cancelling Ms Conway’s shows following threats from activist groups.

“Right now Victoria is not safe for Jewish creatives,” she said.

“This is true of many places in Australia.”

Singer-songwriter Deborah Conway. Picture: Arsineh Houspian.

But somehow, people potentially being denied government hand-outs is the pressing issue.

In far too many cases the problem has gone beyond threats.

Only 11 days ago we had an alleged arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, which took place while about 20 people were inside.

The same night an Israeli-owned restaurant was stormed by a rowdy group of activists

On Monday, we learned that there are Australians now cos-playing as terrorists, with a video emerging online of a masked figure, clad all in black, threatening violence against workers at Australian aerospace company Lovitt Technologies.

The figure, their voice digitally altered, even provides suggestions on how to perform terrorist acts, before later saying: “Death to Israel. Death to Australia. Death to America. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Lest anyone thinks this is solely a Victorian problem, think again. In May, vile anti-Semitic graffiti that echoed Nazi propaganda was found on a wall in Robina on the Gold Coast.

And yet, despite all this, people try to suggest there is no crisis of anti-Semitism in this country. That the recommendations in Ms Segal’s report are somehow an over-reaction.

And most extraordinarily, some manage to find themselves penning articles in opposition to the report that – in a ridiculous but truly terrifying irony – manage to echo infamous anti-Semitic tropes.

Recent incidents have caused enormous concern in the Jewish community.

There are better thing to be reading. And writing.

For one, it is incumbent on all of us in the media – and society as a whole – to show solidarity with our Jewish community members.

To speak up and say that we stand with them against the hate.

To say that, while people are entitled to their views about Israel’s actions in Gaza, they have no right whatsoever to threaten the safety of any community in Australia.

Anyone familiar with history will know that means speaking up when the poison of anti-Semitism seeps into the public discourse. Staying silent is a dangerous option.

Consider the postwar lament of Pastor Martin Niemöller, an early convert to Nazism who later realised the error of his ways.

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist.

“Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.

“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.

“Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Chilling words indeed.

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