Kooyong candidates Monique Ryan, Amelia Hamer make their pitches to Jewish voters

Monique Ryan has delivered a strong message of support to Kooyong’s Jewish community, as Liberal Amelia Hamer received a huge applause as she decried the rise of anti-Semitism.

Teal MP Monique Ryan and Liberal challenger Amelia Hamer faced-off at a debate on Thursday night. Picture: Getty Images

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Teal MP Monique Ryan and Liberal challenger Amelia Hamer traded sharp blows over Israel, anti-Semitism, and Australia’s immigration policies in a showdown for the federal seat of Kooyong on Thursday night.

The two candidates faced off at the Bialik Learning Centre in front of hundreds of Jewish constituents, as the electorate’s new boundaries – expanded to include about 5000 additional Jewish voters – pushed these issues to the political forefront.

Moderated by Jewish philanthropist Lillian Kline, the debate saw Dr Ryan, flanked by AFP officers after disruptions at a separate event the night before, ­deliver a strong message of solidarity with the Jewish community. She condemned the October 7 Hamas attacks, described the subsequent global rise in anti-Semitism as “abhorrent,” and acknowledged the growing fear among Jewish Australians.

“There’s been a failure of leadership,” Dr Ryan said. “We haven’t stood up early or hard enough against this tragic challenge to our social cohesion.”

She added that the silence from political leaders had “shocked and angered” many in her electorate. “We haven’t stood up early or hard enough against this tragic challenge to our social cohesion.”

Her remarks came as she stared down the hall at people wearing “repel the teals” shirts.

Liberal candidate for Kooyong, Amelia Hamer, received a huge applause from the crowd as she decried the rise of anti-Semitism, warning that some Jewish Australians felt so unsafe they were preparing escape plans – including to Israel, despite the ongoing threat of regional conflict.

Amelia Hamer shakes hands with attendees. Picture: Getty Images

“It troubles me deeply that we have neighbours, friends, people in our community who feel unsafe,” Ms Hamer said. “When I was growing up here, my neighbours were Jewish. I didn’t think of Jewish people as anything other than just members of our community.”

She said the current climate had left Jewish Australians fearful to wear school uniforms or enter city centres on weekends.

“I have people … who’ve told me they have escape plans to leave Australia, and that plan, even more worryingly, is to go to Israel – which is just a few kilometres from terrorists. That people would rather live near a war zone than stay here is deeply troubling,” she said.

Ms Hamer criticised the Labor government’s handling of the issue, accusing Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong of failing to provide “moral leadership” in the wake of the October 7 attacks and subsequent rise in anti-Semitic incidents.

“We need to change the government of this country,” she said.

“The government we have today hasn’t acted decisively or early enough.”

Monique Ryan at the Jewish community forum in Kooyong.Picture: The Australian/ Nadir Kinani

She called for reforms to the Immigration Act to allow the deportation of visa-holders engaged in anti-Semitic conduct, and pushed for the establishment of a strengthened anti-Semitism taskforce – dismissing the one announced by Labor as “too little, too late”.

Dr Ryan said she supported Zionism and Israel’s right to defend itself, condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and called for the immediate return of all hostages.

Dr Ryan and Ms Hamer are locked in a tight battle for ­Kooyong, with the teal MP holding a margin of just 2.2 per cent in the seat she won from Josh Frydenberg in 2022.