Credit to penitent Perrottet, he has grown from error

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet apologises for wearing a Nazi uniform at his 21st Birthday party during a press conference at NSW Parliament House, in Sydney, Thursday, January 12, 2023. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

As you have likely heard by now, shocking news broke on Thursday when NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet admitted that he chose to wear a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party back in 2003. ­Immediately after his mea culpa, he apologised for his “terrible, ­terrible mistake”.

Like you, I was shocked. Nazis and their uniforms have never been and never will be a joking matter, nor is there ever an excuse to don one – irrespective of any milestone moment.

Beyond that, I was surprised because of the man I believe Perrottet to be. Throughout his tenure as NSW Premier thus far, he has grown to be a friend and ally of our Jewish community, and knowledge about his decision as a university student at that time was difficult to process.

The question on the mind of so many is: Where to from here?

What are we to make of this disturbing episode, factoring in that the modern-day Perrottet is a staunch supporter of Jews and the state of Israel?

At the outset, let me state unequivocally and emphatically as a spiritual leader, as a Jew, as an Australian, that donning a Nazi uniform is a deeply painful act and has no place in our society.

Within living memory of the Holocaust – and especially here in our Great Southern Land, where many thousands of post-war survivors came to find refuge – symbols of hate and anti-Semitism will naturally elicit profound disgust from the community. And rightfully so.

Yet I also appreciate that one central tenet of Judaism is the concept of teshuva, or repentance. And Perrottet expressed ­remorse and regret.

We are all not striving for perfection, but for progression. The premise is that we were all created perfectly imperfect by design, so that through a continuous process of learning, growth and, yes, trial and error, we may inch ever closer to living an enlightened and enriched life, filled with awareness and sensitivity.

A contribution to human ­development that is distinctly Jewish – and, might I add, revolutionary – is the notion that a human’s fallibility is not a metaphorical bug in the system, but a feature.

Levi Wolff is the Chief Rabbi at The Central Synagogue in Sydney

Teshuva is the recognition by God that we are not flawless, nor are we expected to be. On the ­contrary, we have a built-in propensity to err. Given this, our highest calling therefore is to transform that weakness into a catalyst for progress and advancement. Our Torah teaches that a mistake is, in essence, a springboard for growth.

Here’s a biblical case in point: King David, perhaps the best-­remembered monarch of our people, was a repentant man who spent his entire life working towards making amends for what he understood to be his un­becoming behaviour as both a king and leader.

Intriguingly, it was not despite, but rather precisely because of his ongoing virtuous repentance that God chose him to lead our nation.

Having navigated the winding road to self-redemption, he could relate to an errant person not merely as an abstract concept, but via his own pivotal personal experience.

Knowledge is power: one who has grown from wrongdoing, makes a more sensitive leader to manage the vulnerabilities of their flock or tribe or community – this has proven true within any epoch.

To be sure, teshuva is not a semantic catchphrase. It is not lip service.

For Teshuva to be valid, it must make demands of its practitioner, and have those demands met.

Maimonides, the great 12th century sage and philosopher, codified teshuva into law as requiring “regret over the past and a resolution for the future”.

The former involves reaching a deep and abiding sense of contrition and penitence, and the ­latter is about making a commitment to see to it that the mistake is never repeated.

A commitment reinforced by concrete action and anchored in tangible deeds.

If that is the measure of teshuva, I don’t think it’s far-fetched to say Perrottet has demonstrated his sincere desire to meet it. Beyond his expressions of regret and shame, upon admitting to his earlier decision, he looked forward and has already committed to strengthening Holocaust education, well beyond his visit to the Sydney Jewish Museum.

Above all, we have seen his steadfast support for the Jewish community and Jewish causes for years now, well before this public admission.

Indeed, in Jewish daily prayers, we beseech to “Forgive us, our father, for we have sinned”. And though we recite this once in the morning, we then repeat it again twice in the afternoon and evening. Why? So that if within those interim hours we have again succumbed to temptation or poor judgment, we hope that our heavenly father finds it in his immense mercy to extend us a lifeline.

If we hope that generosity of spirit is granted to each of us, we must be prepared to offer it to others. I pray that we can heal from this painful reality together and find it in our hearts to let teshuva take its course.

Levi Wolff is the Chief Rabbi at The Central Synagogue in Sydney. Instagram: @rabbileviwolff