‘You fire missiles at us, we fly kites towards you’: Sydney’s Jewish community sends powerful message to Hamas

Hundreds of members of Sydney’s Jewish community have come together to send a powerful message, urging for the release of 240 hostages – including 34 children – taken by Hamas.

Lilah, 9, Ivy, Elly, Lyla, all seven, at the Kites for Hope event in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Sunday. Elly reiterated calls to bring those children taken hostage home. Picture: Liam Mendes

Hundreds of members of Sydney’s Jewish community have come together in the city’s eastern suburbs to again urge for the release of 240 hostages – including 34 children – taken by Hamas.

Inspired by ‘Afifoniada’, a kite flying festival for children scheduled to have taken place on October 7 in Kfar Aza Kibbutz near Gaza, Sunday’s event aimed to send a dignified message to Hamas: ‘You fire missiles at us, we fly kites towards you.’

The event occurred around the same time it was reported Israel and Hamas reached a tentative US-brokered ceasefire to pause the war for five days, opening the option to free women and children hostages.

Organiser Lauren Placks said the focus of Sunday’s event was on the 34 children captured by Hamas, and said her own children are scared to go to school in their own uniforms due to rising cases of anti-Semitism.

“We have probably never been more united as a Jewish community, but we also have never been more scared to be in a Jewish community,” Ms Placks said.

“We’ve had issues very close to home, and it scares us that we’re having to explain things to our children about who they are and the religion that they hold.

“We will continually stand strong and we will not be scared to come together at events like this and together to show our support with Israel because we feel like we are one family.”

Several children spoke at the event, including Elly, 7, who reiterated calls to bring those children taken hostage home.

“I can’t imagine being without my mum and dad, no one should (be in that position),” she said.

Nine-year-old Remy said his own heart went out to the children kidnapped by Hamas.

“It would be so scary for them,” Remy said.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said Australia has seen “historic levels” of anti-Semitism since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and said the Jewish community was “anxious for what the future holds”.

“We saw this inflaming of tensions, this escalation of rhetoric and seen it progress very quickly to physical assaults, to vandalism of Jewish businesses, organised boycotts of Jewish businesses, even targeting of Jewish schoolchildren.

“So we’re anxious for the future, and we call on all Australians to be mindful of our unified society our multiculturalism, and to remember that we are one people together.”

Mr Ryvchin said the condemnation of anti-Semitism must continue at all levels of government and society.

“Convoys of cars menacingly driving to Jewish neighbourhoods looking for confrontation, these sorts of things need to stop,” he said.

“The incitement we’re seeing at rallies every weekend, the calls for more attacks on Israeli civilians, this is not who we are as Australians. Tensions are high, feelings are strong about what’s happening in the Middle East, but ultimately, we’re Australians and we have to stand together now.

“We’re worried by the trajectory of this all, and it all began with some vicious chants, and sermons by clerics in Western Sydney, inciting their flocks against our community and we’ve seen it progress to physical confrontation, vandalism of shops and where it goes from here is terrifying and a sobering thing to think about.”