A parent’s perspective: ‘I don’t feel safe anymore’

Our society is broken. My perceived safe haven of living in Australia, oceans away from guns, bombs and terror has been shattered. I don’t feel safe anymore.

The incident that compels me to write publicly is the graffiti posted on the fence of Mount Scopus College, my children’s school, with the words “Jew Die”. 

The masks have come off.  This is no longer antisemitism hidden under the guise of “anti-Zionism”. It can no longer be dismissed with the retort “but we don’t hate Jews, we just hate Zionists”. These two words “Jew Die” encapsulate the chilling alienation felt by the Jewish community over the last eight months.  These two words “Jew Die” mirrors the perceived intent of the hatred directed at the Jewish community in Australia.

I’m not in immediate physical danger. But danger is lurking. It’s not long before the shackles completely come off. And I am scared what that will look like.

If I’m honest with myself, I always knew there was antisemitism bubbling under the surface.  It explains why I was always hesitant to explain to work colleagues why I only eat vegetarian food when we go out for lunch. I am not vegetarian but I only eat kosher meat. Or why I couldn’t explain why I can’t come for Friday night drinks after work - my family Shabbat dinner. On occasion, work colleagues have made jokes or snide remarks about Jewish people. Most of these I brushed off. I thought I was being overly sensitive.

But since the notorious day on October 7, Australia has shown its true colours. And rather than antisemitism being a few bubbles in a large ocean, the head of an iceberg that has emerged, with much of the hatred still submerged under water…waiting for the time to show the full extent of itself.

In the last few months, we have seen some abhorrent antisemitism. Some the culmination of months of efforts to deny, divert and deflect antisemitism experienced by the Jewish community, while other events the result of gradual increases in what is deemed publicly acceptable antisemitism, such that we are now verging on antisemitic tropes reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

NSW police focused a four-month investigation into if “gas the Jews” was chanted by protesters while burning the Israeli flag and also chanting “fuck the Jews” or was it only “where’s the Jews”. Rather than focusing on the protesters at this hate-filled rally and taking action against the violence, racism and incitement spread.

As a Jew, the menacing cry of “where’s the Jews” from an angry mob already showing violence put as much, if not more fear in me than “gas the Jews”. What would have happened if the crowd had “found the Jews”, had found me and my family?

But what hurts and scares me the most, is the way antisemitism is moving mainstream. It’s the media and society’s ability to deflect and blame the Jewish community. 

The mainstream media outlets mainstream media outlets reporting about “two warring sides” of protesters after anti-Jewish, violent mobs were held back by a wall of armed policemen from attacking a peaceful, anti racism rally in the CBD last week.  Or our most esteemed university campuses diminishing and denying the vile antisemitic “encampments” that went unchecked across our university campuses. Chanting “fuck off Zionist scum” and “Zionists are not welcome here” was not antisemitic, they said.

We are experiencing desensitisation to the antisemitic rhetoric not only on our streets but even in our parliament.  Greens leader Adam Bandt has promoted anti-Israel rallies that blatantly call for the demise of the Jewish people, describing them as “the movement of peace”. Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi posted a photo with student protesters holding a placard promoting cleaning the world of Jews. The level of antisemitic propaganda reached a new height when another Green MP, Jenny Leong, claimed the “Jewish lobby’s” tentacles were infiltrating all communities in Australia.

This level of antisemitic discourse from sitting members of parliament and the accompanying silence from our countries leaders is reminiscent of Nazi Germany. As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I am ever aware of the dangers of racism left to fester. When do we heed the warning signs and leave Australia for safer shores?

With a broken heart and a question about my family’s stability and safety in Australia, I urge all Australians to call out all forms of hate, bigotry and racism. For all Australia, please make sure that we remain “one and free”.