SBS Examines خوف، چوکنّا رہنا اور پولرائزیشن : کس طرح یہود دشمنی یہودی آسٹریلینز کو متاثر کر رہی ہے

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
آسٹریلیا کی یہودی برادری میں بہت سے لوگوں کا کہنا ہے کہ سیاسی پولرائزیشن یہود دشمنی کی ایک نئی لہر کو ہوا دے رہی ہے۔ نفرت کے اعلیٰ درجے کے واقعات پریہودی کس طرح ردعمل دے رہے ہیں؟
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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



