Warning, this story contains graphic details some listeners may find distressing.
TRANSCRIPT
It's been more than a year since an Israeli-planned attack in which pagers owned by members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exploded simultaneously.
The operation killed 39 and injured more than 3,400 people, including children and other civilians.
It was hailed by Israel as an intelligence triumph, but condemned by rights experts, including United Nations Special Rapporteur Ben Saul.
"It was widely regarded as an illegal attack under international humanitarian law, because humanitarian law prohibits what we call indiscriminate attacks. That is, attacks which by their nature are not able to distinguish between military targets, which are lawful to attack, and civilians, which are protected under international law."
He says the attack is widely regarded as a war crime - but now an event planned in Melbourne will celebrate what organisers call Israel's ingenuity.
A flyer online promotes the free event to children, promising a NERF-gun battle and martial arts training.
Lions of Zion Co-founder Isaac Balbin is unapologetic for hosting the event.
“We have a little bit of fun.. and we tell them the story about a heroic operation that they may or may not know about.”
The group formed around a year after the October 7 attacks to stand against what they say is the ongoing harassment of the Jewish community, and the perceived inaction to address it.
“I think that it's past time that Jewish people had to apologise for existing and defending themselves.”
Australia's Lebanese community has reacted with shock.
Gamel Kheir is the secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association.
“The fact that it's even being celebrated is disgraceful. But more to the point, what relevance does it have to Australia?”
Executive Director at the progressive Jewish Council of Australia, Sarah Schwartz describes the Lions of Zion as a fringe, far-right group.
“The images associated with the event that I've seen, these sort of cartoons with guns, pitching it as this sort of family friendly event, I think that's really concerning because it means they're bringing children into their ideology.”
Gamel Kheir says the event is likely to undermine social cohesion.
“We always call for cohesion and social cohesion and tolerance of each other. This is promoting the other, and not the combined effect on the Lebanese that were suffering from this atrocity.”
SBS approached Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke for comment, but his office directed questions to Victoria Police, which says it's aware of the event, and will continue to monitor for safety risks.
A number of other Jewish community groups have distanced themselves from the Lions of Zion, declining to comment for this story.
Despite calls for the event to be cancelled, the group says the event is still scheduled to go ahead.
