Brisbane leaders unite against antisemitism at City Hall rally
seven days later The horrific incident at Bondi Beach that claimed the lives of 15 people. Members of Brisbane’s Jewish community and their supporters packed City Hall on Sunday evening to take a stand against antisemitism.
Security at the event was tight and all attendees had to pass security screening before entering City Hall. But this did not deter the more than 1,000 people who packed the auditorium and even more came out to watch the event on the big screen in King George Square.
Jason Steinberg, chairman of the Queensland Jewish Board of Representatives, told the packed auditorium that the events of December 14 had changed the lives of Australian Jews forever.
“The loss of 15 innocent, incredible people is a wound so deep we wonder if we can ever truly heal,” he said. “And honestly, we’re holding our breath to see what happens next.”
Steinberg said the parallels with history are clear, noting that in 1933, as the Nazis came to power in Germany, the Jewish community organized an event in the same auditorium to raise money for Jews fleeing Europe.
“Eighty years ago, after the Holocaust, the world seemed to unite around a phrase: ‘never again,’” he said.
“Today I ask you to ensure that we never again talk about the plight of the Jews here, in this hall, or anywhere like it, because what begins with the Jews never ends with the Jews.
“And in memory of those who died at Bondi, I pray, hope and implore each of you – no matter your role or position in life, what neighborhood you live in, what congregation you attend, who your family or friends are – to use your strength, your inner strength, to make sure that ‘never again’ is not just a platitude.”
An emotional Mayor Adrian Schrinner fought back tears as he spoke about the victims of the Bondi massacre, particularly 10-year-old Matilda.
“This might have been their perfect day out, but it wasn’t a perfect day; it was Matilda’s last day, and the last day her family would be happy,” Schrinner said, his voice breaking.
“This [Matilda’s parents’] words. Can you imagine the unquenchable pain? Was their innocent, happy daughter taken or stolen from them?
“Matilda is our daughter now. Matilda is Australia’s daughter, but our nation has let Matilda down.”
Schrinner said political and religious extremism had been allowed to grow in Australia “because of our weakness as a nation”. He also had a nuanced criticism of the federal government, which is working with states to further strengthen gun laws.
“Don’t get distracted. This isn’t about guns; there will always be other guns,” he said.
“And this isn’t about immigrants. Just ask Syrian Ahmed al-Ahmed, who bravely disarmed one of the shooters, or Amandeep Singh, who crossed the road to help police restrain the other attacker.
“Both immigrants, both protectors of the innocent, both true Australians.”
Prime Minister David Crisafulli said last Sunday’s events in Bondi had been two years in the making.
“We will do our best to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again, but we must address the root cause,” he said.
“There were those who either ignored those who were prepared to incite violence against people on the basis of faith, or were even prepared to stand with them.
For the sake of the 15 innocent lives lost, for the sake of who we are as a nation, we cannot do this.
Other speakers included Opposition Leader Steven Miles, Catholic Archbishop Shane Mackinlay, Anglican Archbishop Jeremy Greaves and Holland Park Mosque Imam Uzair Akbar.
“The beautiful country of Australia is our common home. It is a place where people of different faiths, origins and histories live side by side,” Akbar said.
“This diversity is not an accident and it is not a weakness. It is a trust, and with it comes great responsibility – the responsibility to protect each other’s safety, the responsibility to speak with restraint and honesty, and the responsibility to stand together when hatred threatens any of us.”
“Solidarity doesn’t mean we all think the same. It means we agree on something much more important, something much bigger: human dignity is non-negotiable and violence against civilians is never, ever acceptable.”
“Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and dehumanization in all its forms feed from the same source: fear combined with silence.
“When good people hesitate to speak out, hate has room to grow.”
A small crowd sang before the doors opened Advance Australia Fair After the speech in front of the city hall Am Yisrael Chai – It means “the people of Israel are alive.”
