On anti-Semitism we were warned but did not listen

An open letter signed by Holocaust survivors warning of the dangers posed by the evil spread of anti-Semitic violence in Australia has proved to be prophetic.

The letter, written in November 2023, almost two months after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel shocked the world, included a view from experience of what could come.

“Never did we think that we would witness a re-enactment of the senseless and virulent hatred of Jews that we faced in Europe,” the letter said. “Our memories and our experiences in ghettos, concentration camps and in hiding – seeing our families and communities vanish – compel us to raise our voices and implore humanity to reject hatred, bigotry and violence.”

Survivors of the Holocaust said anti-Semitism is one of world’s oldest and most contagious viruses. They asked all Australians to “denounce the anti-Semitism and hatred that we see today in our beautiful country and across the globe”.

More than 12 months on from that call, given the events in the months since, our political leaders, police commanders, university vice-chancellors and other civic leaders must all ask themselves if they have done enough.

This extends to the media, many of which were eager to highlight the anti-Semitic protests without proper heed to the consequences.

The Sydney Morning Herald ran an editorial on Friday declaring the “spate of violence has reached horrifying new levels and the public deserves nothing less than the full facts, and in a timely manner”.

But, like its Melbourne sister paper, The Age, it has come to the issue, and its senses, too late.

A lack of determination to call out the escalating violence has led to bomb threats against the Great Synagogue that it appears were foiled by luck as much as good judgment on the part of police.

Synagogue leaders said in a statement that to have become a target for violent terror even two years ago would have been unthinkable, but since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, “this behaviour has sadly become our reality in Australia”.

The Jewish community says it will not be intimidated or fearful, and will continue to gather and pray as free Australians. This is commendable.

But they asked all leaders in business, arts, politics, religion and everywhere else to denounce anti-Semitism in clear and unequivocal language.

Had this been done earlier, today’s examples of intimidation, vandalism and arson may have been much less likely to have occurred. Instead, the federal government has issued mixed messages about where it stands. Police have been reluctant to snip anti-Semitic protests in the bud, preferring, they say, to not inflame community tensions. Given events, this looks ridiculous.

The template was set in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attack when, before Israel had made any response, police cautioned the Jewish community in Sydney against attending a commemorative event on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House but stood by as others engaged in angry and upsetting anti-Israel protests.

The same lack of will has been on display on university campuses and in other states where protests have been allowed that were calculated to make Jewish citizens feel unsafe.

The public has seen too little from police to send a message that perpetrators would be caught. But voters know that police commanders take their lead from their political masters.

A soft approach to anti-Israel protests confirms a bias that exists within major parties at both state and federal level.

Anthony Albanese on Friday continued to defend the actions of police, saying he would prefer the issue not become the “source of political debate”.

No doubt he would. But Peter Dutton speaks for many when he says the Prime Minister’s “instincts are all wrong on these matters, which are the most tangible matters in this age for our country”.

As Cameron Stewart writes on Saturday, the scourge of anti-Semitism in Australia has become a runaway train that now demands a radically escalated counter-terror mindset from federal and state governments, police and spy agencies.

The discovery of an explosives-filled caravan with a list of Jewish targets has been a wake-up call both to the substance of the threat warned of by Holocaust survivors and the lethargy of our political and policing institutions to address it head-on.