Fear, betrayal, hope: Being a secular Jew since Oct. 7

Like many Australian Jews, I consider myself secular. Born to Jewish parents, my grandparents fought the Germans for the British in World War II; I went to a non-Jewish school and never had cause to openly discuss being Jewish. We have shabbat (family dinner) on Friday and celebrate the high holidays. Assimilation and contribution to community has always been important — from the early days of law school as a legal aid volunteer, to helping found a grass roots not for profit supporting victims of domestic violence, the Nappy Collective Inc. It felt a privilege to use the education I had accessed in Melbourne, to contribute.

On October 7, we woke to news of a massacre at the Nova peace festival in Israel. Every Jew remembers where they were when they heard this. Some awaited news of families and friends and whether those they knew had been attacked.

In the days that followed, a sense of shock and grief shook the community and, for a short while, was shared by most with a television screen across the world. There were also early signs of celebration locally and abroad and by October 9th, when a global day of jihad (a call for violent uprising) was called, many were afraid to send their children to school. It was the day I sat outside my children’s Jewish school in the car “just in case”. The iconic images of hate at the opera house steps etched into the Australian Jewish community like a warning reminiscent of 1938.

We took our Bialik College school permit off the dash. We stopped leaving lights on in the evening so as not to attract attention.  When I sat on the train, I wondered what those sitting beside me thought about my right to be here. My husband, a surgeon, had many patients offer opinions about the conflict; some even refused to be treated by a Jewish doctor.  I began to feel isolated from colleagues and friends — wondering what they might think about Israel, Jews and my place here. I was also grateful and touched by many who reached out and offered support.

I was deeply concerned, but standing still has never been an option. So with a few inspiring women with a background in philanthropy, a grass roots group was born; to support and advocate for issues facing the local Jewish community. We couldn’t comprehend how the women’s rights movement and humanitarian causes like Women’s Agenda, Red Cross, Amnesty International and others could be silent in the wake of the atrocities perpetrated on those at the Nova festival and against people living in peaceful communities. That many global leaders like Michelle Obama and Oprah who had supported the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign could ignore the hostages, gang rapes and war crimes committed against Israeli civilians. And we began writing letters, petitions, staging vigils, raising the profile of Jewish voices locally. We were always clear that any action had to be measured and peaceful.

We began wondering what the silent majority of middle Australia thought. And when the ‘Say No To Antisemitism’ campaign launched, we got our answer. Corporate leaders in Australia care. It felt strange; I’ve never had to advocate, seek acceptance or support for something which is an inherent part of my identity and it brought a sense of vulnerability. The response was overwhelming — thousands of corporate, political and community leaders signed the petition within days. It demonstrated that if we ask, good and decent people will stand against racism towards the Jewish people. This gave me, and so many, hope that we weren’t alone – we weren’t just shouting into the wind.

There were challenges of course. l was one of the admins for Lawyers for Israel, the Australian lawyers community who saw some of its members doxxed. The personal and reputational harm caused by the actions of a few, continues to be felt by many. However, others were not deterred and continued testing critical questions such as: what laws exist in Australia to address antisemitism and the escalation of aggression and violence we’re seeing against Jewish people? We leveraged the skills of those in our community who were willing to help find answers to these questions – many (Jewish or not) dedicated their time and expertise to various causes impacting the community – from Council declarations and school petitions to interrogating University policies.

It was both galvanising and frustrating. There was a sense that many in the community felt broken and betrayed. We witnessed token Jewish organisations like the Jewish Council of Australia masquerading as a representative body for the community; in reality operating as spokespeople for the Palestinian cause and failing to engage in a critical or meaningful way or reflect the values of the mainstream or secular Jewish community. Rather, supporting fringe conspiracy theories which downplay crimes perpetrated by Hamas (a recognised terrorist organisation).

One of the characteristics of secularity is holding what many consider to be universal values – of democracy, freedom and basic morality – which is why when we started hearing “resistance by any means” it no longer made sense. Those aligning with what they considered to be humanitarian causes and calls for “ceasefire” but standing side by side with protestors holding signs of the Israeli flag in the bin – a symbol representing that the Jewish homeland can simply be gotten rid of. Things worsened over recent months with universities like Sydney University becoming a place where Jewish students were confronted by hostility – both direct and verbal abuse, aggressive protests and encampments. The individual and collective effect of which has been to make Jewish students feel unsafe on campus. It permeates every social sphere; with a daughter of a friend recently asked to leave her share house for “supporting genocide”.

So, where to from here? What does Western civilisation hold for diaspora Jews who seek safety, security and prosperity? It’s the question many of us aren’t sure how to answer.

On Friday 24th August, the Zionist Federation of Australia made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’ review of the Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill, which details (amongst other things) how antisemitism has permeated anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian movements.

Josh Frydenberg recently narrated a Sky documentary casting light on antisemitism in Australia. The Albanese Government has announced a special envoy into antisemitism, although has spent most of the last nine months virtue signalling. Leadership is wanting. If the victims of October 7 and their families have taught us anything, it’s resilience. It’s to overcome. It is time to do that again: not to wait, to use our voice and speak our lived experience. I believe Australia is listening.