Debunking myths and highlighting Jewish contributions to Australia
The undeniable truth is that there is a dangerous increase in antisemitism, but the real question is why antisemitism exists. Why do some people think it’s okay to hate Jews?
This will be the central question for federal crown commissioner Virginia Bell, a former Supreme Court judge, in the wake of the Bondi massacre in December, in which 15 people were killed because of their religion.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remained undecided for weeks as prominent Jews, independent legal figures and sports figures signed petitions demanding a criminal investigation.
I wish there was an experienced attorney general who understood the issues deeply. But wait, Mark Dreyfus, an extremely talented Jew, had one. Three of his great-grandparents died in the Holocaust.
Dreyfus lost his position in an inter-factional arm wrestle. In politics, numbers always beat information.
The government has introduced strengthened hate crime laws that some fear could impact freedom of expression. Perhaps if existing and strong criminal solicitation laws had been used earlier, we would not be trying to heal a septic wound right now.
I’ve been asked why I write a column about such a complex topic. But it’s not complicated. This is a hatred based on nothing; No science, no reality, only lies. And only when those who are not involved are included will there be even the slightest chance of meaningful change.
Although Australian Jews are a minority, they are a powerful minority that has a strong say in politics, law and law. artmedia and economy.
Usually the last group of immigrants are the victims of discrimination, but Jews are the old school with deep Australian heritage. The first wave from Eastern Europe arrived in the 1930s.
Prejudice cannot be based on population numbers or the fear that they will overwhelm the status quo.
The 2021 census recorded 116,967 people identifying as Jewish in 49,040 households; this amounts to 0.46 percent of the national population (155,000 of whom are of Jewish origin).
Pound for pound, people of Jewish descent have done more to achieve progress in modern Australia than any other minority. And weren’t they punished for this?
Let’s look at the foundations of antisemitism, built on the shifting sands of hatred. As always, it’s driven by incompetent people who need someone to blame for their miserable lives.
Adolf Hitler established a regime on the theory that Jews were responsible for everything; If you eliminate them, you eliminate Germany’s problems.
No one is born a bigot, and it took Hitler years to sow the seeds of hatred. The internet has become a toxic greenhouse to speed up the process.
You can criticize Israel’s actions without being antisemitic, as an accountant at Caulfield is not responsible for war crimes in Gaza. Destroying a synagogue in Melbourne because of policies created in Tel Aviv makes as much sense as attacking an American donut van at the MCG because you don’t like Donald Trump.
The demonstrations against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog show how legitimate protests and illegitimate prejudices can exist in a single crowd.
Antisemitism is nothing new. William Shakespeare pandered to this theme with the character of Shylock, a malevolent and scheming Jewish moneylender. Merchant of Venice.
Jews were blamed for everything from the Black Death to the worldwide economic depression. It was said that even the Covid vaccine was a Jewish conspiracy.
In the spirit of Monty Python’s famous skit “What have the Romans ever done for us?We ask: What have the Jews done for us?
Myth: They are loyal to their faith, not their country.
Fact: Australia’s greatest soldier was Sir John Monash, a Jew. He was one of the few generals in the First World War who saw his troops as more than cannon fodder, and he saw that accusations against machine gun nests were futile.
A civil engineer, he was not stuck with outdated military strategies and was loved by his troops and respected by his generals.
He would become chairman of the State Electricity Commission, which trained thousands of technicians, and was a driving force in the construction of the Temple of Remembrance.
One of the soldiers at Gallipoli with Monash was Leonard Keysor, a Jew with a big heart and strong arms.
When the Turks threw grenades at the Australians during the Battle of Lone Pine, he picked them up and threw them back. He was awarded the Victoria Cross.
There are 102 VC winners in Australia. One of them was Ben Roberts-Smith, whom the judge found to be a war criminal and murderer. It was exposed by two journalists, Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters.
McKenzie is by far Australia’s greatest peacetime journalist. In his book on the Roberts-Smith case, Crossing the Linein writing, he wonders whether his intensity stems in part from his family background as the son of a Polish Jew whose “rest is one of constant anxiety.”
After World War II, it was decided to add a monument to the martyrs to the mausoleum. The winner of the competition to design the forecourt of the monument was Ernest Milston, a Jewish architect who served in the First World War.
Another Jewish soldier/architect was Gordon Keesing. After serving on the Western Front, he was appointed chief architect of war graves and was a key contributor to the monuments at Gallipoli, which became Australia’s Jerusalem.
Nahum Barnet was an outstanding Melbourne architect who designed Her Majesty’s Theatre, and it has been said: “There was not a street in Melbourne’s central business district where the Barnet building could not be found.”
Myth: Jews make money for Jews.
The Myer family founded Australia’s largest retail institution. CBD retail has attracted millions to the city and suburban outlets have helped establish shopping centers such as Chadstone and Northland.
It provided thousands of job opportunities for students, including casual jobs.
I worked at a record bar in Northland in high school and had a brief stint in small electronics. It was during this period that I discovered the art of forgery.
When a disgruntled customer returned with a dodgy electric fan, I offered him a refund and, since the returns office was closed, I wrote a note as proof and asked him to come back to me the next day.
Unfortunately, he went straight to the returns office with the following note in his hand: “Debit $29.95, signed by Ken Myer.” I was called into the boss’s office and told: “I think you have a great future, but it won’t be in retail.”
There are two great Melbourne traditions at Christmas: the Myer showcase and Carols by Candlelight at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl. The Myer family has been a leader in philanthropy for 100 years. When Sydney died in 1934, 100,000 people attended his funeral.
Myth: Jews are criminals.
Fact: Jews are underrepresented in the prison population, and I have yet to read a report of home invasions of Hebrew youths. You don’t need a machete box outside the synagogue.
Myth: Jews exaggerate antisemitism in Australia.
Fact: Throughout history, Jewish communities have struggled to survive periods of hatred until it was too late and were driven to death in droves. It is called the oldest hatred.
Neo-Nazi Hugo Lennon declared one of the Bondi gunmen responsible for putting up “Australia” posters in Melbourne. You, sir, are a hottie and we’ll see if you’re a hero when you’re accused and thrown in jail.
These homegrown Nazis are incompetent individuals who use cheap anger to get attention. They call themselves patriots, they don’t understand that generations of true Australian patriots have been fighting against racists like them.
There is imported hatred, a symptom of flawed immigration policies that allow a stubborn minority to cling to the old, fail to assimilate, and attack their new country (while embracing the welfare system).
Between 1947 and 1952, Australia received 170,000 displaced persons (refugees) from Europe. They were subjected to a character test and committed to working in a government-provided job for two years.
In Australia’s greatest engineering feat, the Snowy Mountain Plan, immigrants outnumbered native-born Australians and local people profited greatly from exposure to foreign cultures. Former enemies were working together (English was the accepted language) and were judged by what they did, not where they came from. They became known as the Snowy People. For them, “From River to Sea” is a story of success, not bigotry.
Myth: I’m not antisemitic, so it’s not my problem.
Fact: Yes, it is.
Oswald Mosley was privileged and charismatic and was seen as a potential British prime minister. Instead, he modeled himself on Hitler by founding the British Union of Fascists.
On 4 October 1936, 3000 of Mosley’s Blackshirts planned to march into London’s Jewish quarter. They were blocked by 50,000 people: Jews, Irish dockers, sailors and politically conscious people.
Fascists were defeated.
The day after the Bondi massacre, I went to the local synagogue with a bunch of flowers in my hand. I needed Google Maps to find it.
There was a kindergarten next door. These kids haven’t learned yet that they will spend their lives looking over their shoulders. I pressed the intercom button. A lady and a man came to the door, and I gave them the flowers. I didn’t mention Bondi. I didn’t need this.
Their thanks were sincere, their smiles were wide and their eyes were moist. Sometimes it’s the little things.
John Silvester lifts the lid on Australia’s criminal underworld. Subscribers can sign up to receive the Naked City newsletter every Thursday.
