Government needs strong action plan to combat anti-Semitism

While those whose parents and grandparents fought against the horrors of Nazism cannot conceive of an Australia where Jewish Australians are targeted racially, the poor education of younger generations has left them ignorant of our values, our past struggles and our sacrifices to preserve freedom in this country.

The spineless response shown by our federal government following the October 7, 2023, Hamas horror in Israel, starting with one man being arrested at the Sydney Opera House for carrying an Israeli flag while others chanted anti-Jewish slogans, set the tone for further acts of aggressive anti-Semitism. That response ruined the credibility of Australian decency: it “lacked moral fibre”, as our forebears would have termed it. Would-be residents entering Australia have not been required to pledge loyalty to maintain the way of life that was the bequest of World War II combatants, and evil has been allowed to prosper.

Recent attacks show no one is safe in Australia from the risk of terrorism. As Arthur Moses says in his article, further legislation mandating prison sentences will not ensure the cessation of such attacks (“Do we need more laws to counter the attacks on Jews?”, 22/1). In all the time since October 7, 2023, we were left repulsed by the continuing parade of federal government appeasement that has let down our forebears’ standards. It takes courage and bravery to live the way they did; this government does not have it.

Rosemary McGrath, Kensington, SA

The burning down of the Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne, the fire at a childcare centre at Maroubra in Sydney, the torching of cars – all those visual images remind me of the devastation (of hundreds of burnt-out cars) that Hamas and the Palestinians left behind on October 7, 2023. All this started happening after the Australian government let in hundreds of people without the usual thorough identity checks for an Australian visa. It seems to me that our nation is creating a terrorist state (in the footsteps of Gaza) right here.

Corinne Haber, Caulfield, Vic

Having been forced to call a national cabinet meeting after a firebombing on a childcare centre, what did Anthony Albanese achieve? Yet more waffle and no substantive action plan.

Is it going to take loss of life to force them into action? What an indictment.

Robyn Manoy, Darling Point, NSW

As children in the mid-1950s, my brother and I attended a small kindergarten attached to the synagogue in Maroubra.

The teacher was a Holocaust survivor, as were about 75 per cent of the congregants, including our mother.

How many times in the past 15 months have I heard someone say: my father and/or mother would be turning in their graves if they could see what has become of our country? I know the wheels of justice turn slowly, but I need reassurance that they are actually turning.

Ruth Franklin, St Ives, NSW

As usual the Prime Minister is a day (more than a year actually) late and a dollar short.

The lack of action on the steps of the Opera House on October 9, 2023, by the authorities combined with ongoing inaction in the face of weekly rallies and the disgraceful behaviour of our universities is the genesis of the anti-Semitic attacks we have been witnessing. The Prime Minister has been stirred into action only because of the stand being taken by Peter Dutton. Surely we deserve a leader, not a follower.

Frank Hocart, Coorparoo, Qld

If data collection is the Prime Minister’s answer to the current anti-Semitic abuses, I think he’s a few strings short. Researching and data collection plays a tune similar to Nero’s as Rome burned.

Get a grip, Prime Minister, and restore freedom and peace to Australia. Enforcing expectations and genuine humane tolerance and community action are needed.

Robyn Freckelton, Villeneuve, Qld

Throughout the centuries, anti-Semitism has emerged in different parts of the globe in different guises. In our era it comes from three main sources: jihadi extremism, the far-left Marxist takeover of our institutions and neo-Nazis.

We must take the time to understand and combat all three current sources. Nothing less than the future of our society is at stake.

Adrian Deutsch, Randwick, NSW