A sunburnt country, where our shuls now burn

‘…which is the right way to which a man should cleave? …Rabbi Shimon said, foresight.’ (Pirkei Avot 2:9)

…איזוהי דרך ישרה שידבק בה האדם…’
(פרקי אבות ב:ט) ‘רבי שמעון אומר, הרואה את הנולד

Hi Melbourne Jews,

It’s me again. It feels like déjà vu, doesn’t it? 6 months since the last time that a shul was set alight in Melbourne. 6 months since the Prime Minister visited (a few days too late) and made some bad jokes about people getting up too early, and ultimately did very little to stem the tide of antisemitism rocking 21st century Australia. 6 months since I implored you to smell the smoke, and take action to protect yourselves and your families, to consider moving to a place where your Jewishness is truly welcome.

It’s true, the world chessboard has changed a bit. Israel is coming out on top, as we always knew she would, although we still have a fair way to go. With G-d’s help, we will get there.

But what about you? Look around. What has changed? Things weren’t great then – have they gotten better? Do you now feel safe walking the streets of the Melbourne CBD on a Saturday or Sunday? Do you feel comfortable sharing with your colleagues that you are Jewish or Israeli, or that you have family and friends in Israel? If you were harassed or assaulted in the street for being visibly Jewish, do you think people would step in and help? Would the police?

Will you feel safe going to shul this Friday night? How much will your answer depend on whether an armed guard is patrolling the entrance?

These are hard and painful questions. Hard because the answers are not a quick and easy ‘yes’, and painful because they force you to face the reality that Melbourne 2025 is not the same place it was in 2000 or 2015. The ever-present virus of antisemitism has mutated again and is rearing its ugly and destructive head, this time in your backyard.

Australia has been good to us. Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents found a safe refuge here after experiencing and surviving the nightmare of antisemitic policies of Europe in the 1940s. They built lives for themselves, raised families, established shuls, schools, mikvaot and communities.

Of course it is devastating to realise that this ‘safe refuge’ was never truly safe, and that the dark underbelly of Jew hatred remained, dormant, biding its time until it was socially acceptable for it to rise to the surface.

I feel your pain. I truly do. Melbourne was my home, once, too.

But ask yourself this: in the context of history, are you truly, genuinely surprised?

And if you’re not – answer this. What will you do next?