Cov kev ntxub ntxaug neeg Jews muaj teeb meem li cas rau tej neeg Jews Australia

Pro-Jewish supporters hold placards at a "Never Again Is Now" rally

In the wake of recent antisemitic attacks, Jewish Australians told SBS Examines they're feeling increasingly vigilant, and the community is becoming more polarised. Source: LightRocket / SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

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Yeej muaj tej neeg coob heev ntawm Australia tej neeg zejzog Jews hais tias cov kev xav sib txawv rau tej lajfai kum xeeb tau ua rau muaj ib co kev tawm tsam ntxub ntxaug tsis nyiam tej neeg Jews tshiab lawm. Tab sis tej neeg Jews ho yuav ua li cas rau tej xwm txheej ntau yam uas pheej ntxub tsis nyiam lawv?

Mloog tau tej zaj lus thiab lwm yam xov xwm ua lus Hmoob tau ntawm SBS Hmong.

Associate Professor David Slucki uas yog tus coj lub koom haum Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation tau qhia rau SBS Examines tias los lua antisemitism ces yeej txhais tau lub ntsiab lus tias ''yog cov kev ntxub los yog cov kev faib cais tsis nyiam tsav neeg Jews''.

''Tej zaum kuj yog ib cov kev ua phem, ib co cim, ib co lus tsis zoo, ib co kev txuag xim hais lus phem. Tej zaum kuj yog ib co kev hawv uas rau neeg Jews ntshai vim lawv yog neeg Jews. Tej zaum kuj yog ib co xwm txheej li tsis pub lawv koom zejzog, koom ib co kab lis kev cai twg los sis koom ib co lajfai kum xeeb twg. Los sis yog ib yam dab tsi uas tiv thaiv kom neeg Jews tsis txhob muaj peev ua ua tau tub koom siab yam tau txais vaj huam sib luag ntawm tej zejzog uas lawv nyob.''

Nomi Kaltmann ces yog ib tug poj niam Orthodox-Jewish nyob ntawm Melbourne. Nws hais tias ua rau muaj tej neeg ntshai hauv nws lub zos txij thaum tau muaj tej xwm txheej tim 7 lub 10 hli ntuj xyoo 2023.

Nws hais tias ''Peb yeej tseem txaus siab hlo tias peb yog neeg Jews thiab yeej tseem ua lub neej tam li neeg Jews. Tab sis peb yuav tau ib nyuag ceev faj tshaj qub ntxiv dua yav dhau los.''

"Tsis hais ib lub tsev teev hawm twg ntawm Melbourne no li, yeej muaj ib tug neeg tswj kev ruaj ntseg zov sab nraum zoov pov puag tej neeg. Thiab kuv xav tias tej neeg Australia feem coob kuj ceeb thaum lawv hnov tias nod yog tej xwm txheej uas neeg Jews ua lub neej ntawm lub teb chaws no. Tab sis kuv xav tias yog tej yam txaus tu siab heev uas yuav tau ua lub neej li no, thiab kuv yeej swm lawm, tab sis kuv tsis lees txais tias tsim nyog tej neeg Jews ua lub neej zoo li no ntawm lub teb chaws no.''

Toom xov xwm kaw ua suab no yog tham txog cov kev totaub txog cov kev sib ntxub, thiab peb mus txheeb tias tej xwm txheej faib cais ntxub ntxaug tsis nyiam neeg Jews tau ua rau muaj teeb meem dab tsi rau Australia tam sim no.

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Transcript

spk_0

SBS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia.

Nomi Kaltmann

My son goes to a Hebrew school where they've been practicing active shooter drills and lockdown drills, which I find confronting and scary.

Nic

From SBS examines, I'm Nic Zoumboulis. In this episode of Understanding Hate, we're looking at the impact of anti-Semitism in Australia today.

Nomi Kaltmann

It can be assaults or physical violence against Jews. It can be the intimidation of Jews and Jewish life.

Nic

Nomi Kaltmann is an Orthodox Jewish woman living in Melbourne. She says there's been a greater sense of fear within her community since the October 7th attacks in 2023.

Nomi Kaltmann

I think it's polarised a lot of people, and I think it's turbocharged attacks on Jews where people use a conflict halfway around the world to target Jewish people and Jewish institutions even here in Australia.

Nic

Nomi says that Jews have generally been more vigilant following the news of high profile anti-Semitic incidents.

Nomi Kaltmann

In any synagogue across Melbourne, there will be an armed guard outside just to protect the congregants. And it's quite upsetting to live like this, and I've gotten used to it, but I don't accept that this is how Jewish people should live in this country.

Nic

Many Jewish Australians are descendants of Holocaust survivors. For them, the recent attacks invoke a sense of intergenerational trauma.

David Slucki

If that's kind of in your cultural DNA, when there is a situation like we've seen, you are going to be extremely heightened to any suggestions that being Jewish places you in danger in a way.

Nic

That’s David Slucki, he's the Director of the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University. We’ve been hearing more about antisemitism in Australia, but there’s still debate around how to actually define this form of hatred.

David Slucki

Most people would think of antisemitism as simply the hatred of Jews or racism against Jews.

Nic

David says it can be complicated when it comes to separating antisemitism from criticism of the state of Israel and its government. The UN and ICC have accused the Israeli State of human rights abuses and war crimes.

David Slucki

It is certainly not antisemitic to criticise the Israeli government or the Israeli state for its actions. Where things can get a bit dicey is around the question of how you conceive of Israel's existence. Many would argue it is inherently antisemitic to oppose the existence of Israel. And I guess there's something to that in so far as what's the alternative? Without an answer to that, it can easily look that way, that you are not giving Jews the rights that you ascribe to others.

Nic

Without a consensus on the definition of antisemitism, some say it’s hard to get a clear picture of what’s actually going on. Dr Na'ama Carlin, a sociologist at UNSW and executive member of the Jewish Council of Australia, says many reports conflate criticisms of the state of Israel with antisemitism.

Na'ama Carlin

So it's really difficult to actually try and measure an increase in antisemitism over the past few years. What we do know is that there is a rise in social incohesion. Across the board, people in Australia are feeling discriminated against and marginalised.

Nic

Na'ama says she's been the target of antisemitism, and the nature of those attacks has changed in recent times.

Na'ama Carlin

A few years ago it was mostly right wing, neo Nazis messaging, DMing, emailing. And it has changed recently, the nature of the attacks have been more around my public comments around Palestine and Israel. I was at a Palestine rally and I spoke at this rally and someone walked in front of me and did the Seig Heil motion. That's antisemitic. This is the kind of new antisemitism that we're seeing.

Nic

Almost three weeks ago, a synagogue in East Melbourne was the target of an alleged arson attack, while people were inside. No one was harmed, but the community was left shaken.

Rabbi Dovid Gutnick

So it's not what happened, but what could have happened. And that's the trauma that our community's feeling at the moment. But on the other hand, we are feeling so much love and support.

Nic

Speaking at an interfaith gathering a few days later, Rabbi Dovid Gutnick urged the community not to lose hope.

Rabbi Dovid Gutnick

Somebody mumbled a quote from Zacharia into my ear as I left synagogue this morning, he said, “...”. It means something is stronger when it's been forged through fire. That's what we're hoping this event is, a strengthening of Melbourne forged through an act fire.

Nic

Nomi Kaltmann says although most people are not antisemitic, as a Jew, it can be reassuring to receive active words of support.

Nomi Kaltmann

If you have a Jewish friend perhaps just check in with them. It's been a really tough, almost two years to Jewish people living in Australia. So to know that you stand with them, you are against antisemitism, and you want them to feel welcome in this country, would be really reassuring.

Nic

This episode was produced and presented by Nic Zoumboulis. To find out more, visit sbs.com.au/sbsexamines

END OF TRANSCRIPT

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Cov kev ntxub ntxaug neeg Jews muaj teeb meem li cas rau tej neeg Jews Australia

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