Published: 1 December 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
The test of the success of multiculturalism is how the 'street' reacts and Australian Jews do not feel safe.
This week, Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked families of kidnapped Israelis entering a Melbourne hotel. In One Voice community festival has been cancelled. The State Library of Victoria is avoiding promoting a Hebrew manuscripts exhibition. What has happened to multiculturalism?
“I have principles, but if you don't like those, I have others!” An old friend, a Jewish East Londoner with whom I bonded with over our love of the Fitzroy AFL football club, was fond of the classic Groucho Marx saying. It was a simple philosophy that I think he learned over a long career, helping him get by as a working-class Jewish boy in the rough and tumble of East London and then in a very interesting business career in Australia among many colourful characters.
His anecdote got me thinking about people in Australia who ostensibly espouse progressive views and about multiculturalism and the Jewish community in Melbourne and in Australia.
Melbourne has always prided itself as being the multicultural capital of Australia. We were a shining example of the success of the official government policy of multiculturalism. So many different ethnic groups that have come to settle here – creating a literal melting pot – whereby Australia successfully absorbed so many people from so many different nationalities.
Multiculturalism is underpinned by two simple principles: That we collectively have a responsibility for the welfare of all citizens and respect them irrespective of their race or religious background; and multicultural policy extols the virtue of a diverse immigration policy and encourages ethnic and religious expression.
As former Human Rights Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane has argued, multiculturalism represents something more than celebrating the exotic cuisines migrants bring with them to these shores – as delicious as a Thai or Middle Eastern meal is. Our diversity makes the whole stronger.
Which brings me to the barbaric attacks in Israel carried out by the Hamas organisation on October 7. Over 1200 mostly Israeli Jews but also Arab Israelis and foreign nationals were savagely murdered, raped or taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, who filmed the attacks, posted them on social media and phoned parents in Gaza in glee to “celebrate” the atrocities they had carried out.
