‘No place for this in Australia or anywhere else’

The phrase “Jew die” was painted on the wall of one of Melbourne’s largest Jewish schools on Saturday, prompting outrage from politicians and fear from community members.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese immediately tweeted “No place for this in Australia or anywhere else,” reposting a message from Macnamara MP and former Scopus student Josh Burns who criticised the blatant antisemitism.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles visited Mount Scopus yesterday, joining Burns, Burwood MP Carina Garland and principal Dan Sztrajt in condemning the attack.

Marles told a media conference that it was “absolutely critical” that Jewish and non-Jewish Australians stood together against antisemitism and showed solidarity with the school and the Jewish community.  

“Antisemitism is directed against the Jewish community but antisemitism is an issue for the entire nation. The levels of antisemitism that we have seen in the past few months, are more than any that I've seen during my lifetime, and it must stop. It has no place in our country. The sorts of words that we saw, written on the walls of this school have no place in our society.

“The Jewish community are proud Australians, and they have every right to be able to pursue their life as Australians to enjoy the benefits of our country, to do so in a way where they proudly wear the symbols of their culture without feeling abuse, without feeling intimidation, without feeling prejudice. Antisemitism has no place in our country,” he said.   

The government is progressing laws that will strengthen anti-hate legislation, Marles added.

Sztrajt told the media that several families had not sent their children to school on Monday following the incident.  

“I can say that this community is really hurting. It's not only for what has happened over the weekend but this is a community, a Jewish community who have really been impacted by an incredible rise in antisemitism.

“What happened outside the front gate is a product of unchecked racism, unchecked antisemitism directed towards this community, without people standing up and saying this is unacceptable.

"Absolutely whether it be on university campuses, whether it be in public, whether it be on the media, people are entitled to have their rights about world affairs, absolutely. But the minute that that becomes hate speech, the minute that we have communities who are scared to send their children to school, enough is enough.

“The Jewish community, my students are experiencing something that they should not have to. They're experiencing something that is almost reminiscent of what their grandparents and great grandparents tell them about what happens when antisemitism is left unchecked.”

Sztrajt said the Scopus incident could not be viewed in isolation. He said students faced an increase in antisemitism on the sporting field and the school received a “astronomical” number of “horrendously racist, bigoted messages” compared to at any other time.

He said the attack on the school needed to be seen in the context of widespread anti-Israel feeling, particularly on university campuses.

“This is off the back of the community already feeling quite unsafe, given the anti-Israel protests that have been going on and the fear that our families have.

“We've got year 12 students here, who are making decisions about which university they're going to go to, and I can tell you right now, their families are not choosing what universities are best for their interests or best for their learning style. They are selecting their universities in year 12 right now, based on which campuses are safe for Jews to be on.”

Strajt used the opportunity of the media conference to try to explain to the non-Jewish community the connection between Jews and Israel, noting that while there were Jews that did not define themselves as Zionists, the idea of Israel as a Jewish homeland is an integral part of Jewish identity.

“You look at any Jewish prayer, you look at any Jewish practice, it includes references to Israel – it's been a part of who we are for a 4,000 year history. And I think our students are struggling with the idea that there are people that are suggesting that there are places in Australia, they're not welcome, because of their faith.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt, an outspoken critic of Israel, was asked about the antisemitic graffiti on ABC's Insiders program. He condemned the attack, but in the same breath criticised Israel's attack on Gaza.

"I condemn those words. There’s of course no place for that and we’ve said from the very beginning, from the first moment this got debated in parliament, no to antisemitism, no to Islamophobia, no to the invasion.

"I think what you are seeing across the country is a very strong push for peace. People are fighting not only against antisemitism, but fighting to end the invasion of Gaza as well."

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