Anthony Albanese’s vow to end ‘evil’ a start, but will it move beyond rhetoric?

Anthony Albanese at the Sydney Jewish Museum on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Anthony Albanese has finally turned up in the fight against anti-Semitism but the test for Jewish Australians and others concerned about the rise in hate and violence is whether he will follow through beyond rhetoric.

Speaking at the Sydney Jewish Museum after meeting with Holocaust survivors, the Prime Minister was clearly emotional as he sought to remove some of the ­caveats and double-speak that have plagued his government’s ­response to surging anti-Semitism in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel last year.

While it’s unfortunate that a firebombing terror attack on a Melbourne synagogue and ongoing violence targeting Sydney’s Jewish community forced his hand, Mr Albanese’s pledge to end the “evil” rise of anti-Semitism in Australia is a welcome start. But many, including senior ­figures inside his cabinet, ­remain sceptical about his long-term resolve to do what’s required. Putting aside the fact it has taken him 14 months since the October 7 attacks to get his language closer to where it needs to be, there are significant and damaging internal splits over the Israel-Palestine issue. Some inside his caucus worry Mr Albanese is consistently playing catch-up and not listening to advice, which has hurt the government.

Months out from a tight federal election battle with Peter Dutton, there is waning confidence that Mr Albanese can keep his caucus on the same page amid concerns about bleeding votes to the Greens and losing support in Sydney and Melbourne electorates with high numbers of Muslim Australian voters.

Strong leadership and uniting the country also have political benefits. Mr Albanese must shed fear of political risk and repair social cohesion, which has been smashed by rising anti-Semitism and the targeting of Jewish Australians at their places of worship, at universities and in workplaces.

In his attempted mea culpa on Wednesday, Mr Albanese’s political disposition was on show. He deflected questions about Greens preferences deals and made a clumsy defence of Penny Wong’s provocative speech, in which she associated Israel with China and Russia, and claimed that criticising Israel had no direct impact on anti-Semitism.

Mr Albanese’s declaration that “Penny Wong knows about racism” has nothing to do with whether she is pushing the government’s targeting of Israel too far and stoking homegrown anti-Semitism. The anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney on Wednesday undermined Ms Wong’s claims. The graffiti, reading “kill” Israel, proved again that anti-Semitic offenders use criticism of the Jewish state to justify horrendous actions.

Labor’s longstanding support for Israel, established and preserved under ALP legends Doc Evatt and Bob Hawke, has been evaporating under Mr Albanese’s watch. In recent years, Labor’s pro-Israel ‘falafel faction’ has shattered as the influence of the Right faction diminishes.

Richard Marles, the most senior Right-faction government member who, despite living in Victoria failed to visit the Adass Israel Synagogue, has been the greatest disappointment for many Jewish Australians. They feel Marles has abandoned them.

Bill Shorten, Don Farrell and Mark Dreyfus are considered the strongest backers of Jewish Australians and Israel inside cabinet. Shorten, who retires from politics in February, turned up to the synagogue on Friday and unlike the slow-footed Mr Albanese called out the firebombing for what it was – an act of terrorism.