Threats and attacks strike at the very heart of what it is to be Australian

These attacks are targeted at civilians and civilian institutions and are planned and carried out with a clear political motivation, writes David Ossip.

Sydneysiders and Australians more broadly are understandably shocked and outraged by the events unfolding on our streets.

It did not take long for words of hate at rallies on our streets 15 months ago to evolve into anti-Semitic graffiti in our suburbs.

But now, we wake regularly to news that cars have been firebombed, homes have been targeted, places of worship and schools have been defaced and daycare centres have been set alight.

Wednesday brought even more disturbing news with the discovery of an explosive laden caravan and an accompanying list of Jewish targets on the outskirts of our city.

If successfully executed, the explosives contained within the caravan would have caused a blast radius of 40m and likely resulted in the largest terror attack in Australian history.

It’s time to call this out for what it is — a campaign of domestic terrorism.

Graffiti removalists paint over the anti-Semitic graffiti on Mount Sinai College in Maroubra. Picture: Thomas Lisson

These attacks are targeted at civilians and civilian institutions and are planned and carried out with a clear political motivation.

They are criminal acts designed to strike fear into hearts and minds and disrupt the normal activities we have long taken for granted in Australia.

Derriwong Rd in Dural, near where a caravan was found that allegedly contained explosives and anti-Semitic material. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

What was previously unthinkable here in the greatest country on Earth has now become our reality.

For the Jewish community, there is sadly nothing new about this kind of hatred and violence, when considering the travails of our past.

But, until now, we believed that in Australia we’d escaped the hatred which had long pursued us in other contexts.

We have been sadly disappointed as the familiar disease of anti-Semitism has once more appeared in all its venom.

No one should be lulled into thinking that this is just an issue for the Jewish community.

History has shown us that what starts with the Jews rarely ends with the Jews.

The hate-filled terrorists who are perpetrating these attacks are determined to unravel the cohesion, harmony and tranquillity which we all treasure.

To achieve their depraved objectives, they are threatening and putting at risk the physical safety of the community at large.

Now we must see action.

We need laws to crackdown on anti-Semitic protests and a national approach to stamping out hate speech and incitement to violence.

And we must see more robust penalties to deter the terrorists who believe they’ll be getting a slap on the wrist.

The Jewish community will stand tall and unbowed in the face of this campaign of hate. In doing so, we know that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all Australians who value and want to maintain the incredible nation we have all built together.

David Ossip is president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

Originally published as Threats and attacks strike at the very heart of what it is to be Australian