Antisemitism is vile but weaponising it for political gain is harmful for Jews

KERRYN PHELPS: Spurious claims divert attention from genuine antisemitism and sell the Jewish community short over other issues it cares deeply about

KIM RUBENSTEIN IS an eminent law professor, author and human rights advocate.  She is running as an independent for election to represent the ACT in the Senate. Yesterday, Kim Rubenstein tweeted a photo of one of her corflutes defaced with appalling antisemitic slurs. The comments on her corflute referenced the Shoah with the addition of yellow stars. Police are investigating.

Rubenstein commented that she found it “hurtful” and went on to say: "We can disagree without harming or belittling each other, and we can have our say without racist, bigoted attacks. We should also be able to make our points without resorting to misinformation and misleading political ads - something we've seen far too much of already this election."                                    

This cowardly act of vandalism is just one example of the use of antisemitism in Federal election campaigns.  In cases like this, the antisemitism is overt and personally directed. Wherever it happens, it should be unequivocally condemned.

In other cases, allegations of antisemitism are weaponised against political opponents.

Support for Israel is a hot button issue for the Jewish diaspora around the world. Shared memories of the horrors of the Holocaust and the rise of global antisemitism heighten the sensitivity of Jewish communities to the importance of Israel’s safety and security.