Opinion: Australian Jews facing generational epidemic of anti-Semitism

It sounds like something out of the horrors of Nazi Germany a century ago, but the spectre of anti-Semitism is a clear and present danger, writes Jason Steinberg.

Anti-Semitic graffiti in Melbourne this month

This week, a Year 9 Jewish student at an inner-Brisbane state high school was told by a classmate to “f**k off and die in a gas chamber”.

On Thursday I’ll be attending the Sky News anti-Semitism Summit in Sydney, where political, judicial, and community leaders will discuss how to address the unfathomable rise of Jew hatred in Australia. Just ponder that sentiment for a moment. I’ll be attending a summit to discuss how to stop Jew hatred. Any decent Australian should be appalled that we have to have such a summit and by what’s happening in our so-called “Lucky Country”.

Jew hatred is a challenge societies have wrestled with for centuries – none more so than post-World War I Germany. And, history has shown us where inaction can lead.

There are both hard and soft levers to fight anti-Semitism: law enforcement, new legislation, education, and interfaith initiatives. But what Jewish Australians are facing now is not just another wave of discrimination. It is a generational epidemic, supercharged by the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 and emboldened by political inaction, left-wing political parties and anti-Israel fanatics. A surge of hate so emboldened that a teenage student in Brisbane believes he can openly wish death upon his Jewish peer.

In the southern states, the surge has already escalated to shocking violence – firebombings of a synagogue, cars and childcare centres; a caravan packed with explosives. Queensland, for now, has not experienced that level of terror. Not yet.

But the warning signs are clear. Here, a man has been punched and kicked for wearing an “I support Israel” shirt. A Jewish man was chased by a woman wielding a shovel in north Queensland. Threats targeting Jewish Queenslanders are at unprecedented levels. Even healthcare professionals, those entrusted with people’s wellbeing, have spread anti-Semitic hate, both online and in hospital clinics. It is not at the extreme level of the horrific Bankstown nurses incident. Not yet.

In Queensland, the Police have taken action, arresting several perpetrators. Their work provides a measure of reassurance to the community.

But we don’t feel safe. Not like we did before October 7. This is a moment of reckoning and there is still time to turn the tide. Thursday’s summit is an opportunity to act before it’s too late.

Jason Steinberg is president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies

Originally published as Opinion: Australian Jews facing generational epidemic of anti-Semitism