Antisemitism Report 2009 - World Jewish Congress

REPORT ON ANTISEMITISM IN AUSTRALIA IN 2008 + Operation Cast Lead
By Jeremy Jones AM* 12 March 2009
Overview
In Australia in 2008, to accuse any person or organisation of antisemitism is to allege that their behaviour
is antisocial and unacceptable. No one with aspirations to public credibility admits to holding antisemitic
views or to associating with openly antisemitic organisations. While individuals and organisations
associated with the political left who promote extreme anti-Israeli racism, which sometimes included
offensive and gratuitous anti-Jewish imagery, are keen to assert that they are not antisemitic, even some
far-right and neo-Nazi groups publicly profess to be "anti-Zionist" rather than anti-Jewish, although the
material they distribute can give the lie to any such distinction. In the Australian media, during the year in
review, commentators and contributors of letters (and in other forms of public commentary) occasionally,
but rarely, crossed the line between political commentary and anti-Jewish slander in discussions of the
alleged strength of ―Jewish lobbies‖ in both the USA and Australia, as well as in some discussions of
Israel. This is in the context of strong, if sometimes critical, support for Israel from political leaders of
both Government and Opposition.
Despite efforts by anti-Jewish groups and individuals, matters of specific concern to Australian Jewry
such as the extradition request by Hungary to Australia for alleged Nazi War Criminal Charles Zentai, the
Federal Court contempt hearing process under the Racial Hatred Act concerning Fredrick Toben and the
Australian Parliament’s motion congratulating Israel on its 60 th anniversary, were discussed publicly in a
manner which was generally free of prejudice or rancour. It is unfortunately common for extremists and
antisemites in Australia to use the experiences of Jews as victims of Genocide, murder and assault as a
means to insult Jewish people and incite or justify hatred of them. The most extreme example is the
historically and logically inappropriate designation of language and symbols associated with the Nazi
genocide to Jewish people, such as accusing Jews of being "Nazi-like", committing "Holocausts" and/or
Genocide, or supporting "concentration camps". In December 2008 and in to January 2009, while
Israel’s ―Operation Cast Lead‖ was taking place, this phenomenon was part of most public anti-Israel
manifestations.
The staging of a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross, during the 2008 Papal visit to Sydney, raised
issues of anti-Jewish stereotypes and prejudice, but there were successful efforts made by the Catholic
Church and the Jewish community to minimise this potential harm, apparently successfully. Particular
concern, in the period in review, has been expressed at the negative impact of material from a variety of
overseas sources which has as its thesis an eternal enmity of Muslims towards Jews. In 2008, the database
assembled and maintained by the author of this report since 1989 included 614 reports of anti-Jewish
violence, vandalism, harassment and intimidation, the third highest tally ever recorded but close to twice
the average of the previous 18 years. Anti-Jewish propaganda in fringe publications and from extremist
organisations remained an ongoing concern. Conspiracy theories abounded on the internet and these
included a disturbing proportion which were overtly or implicitly antisemitic.
Racism in Australia and Antisemitism
The Australian Jewish community has been an integral part of Australia's population since the first days of
European settlement. While there have been incidents of anti-Jewish activity occurring throughout the
different periods of the development of modern Australia, opposition to antisemitism has also been present
and, perhaps more importantly, the question of the place of Jews within Australian society has generally
not been an issue which has excited the Australian population. However, an unacceptably high number of
Australian Jews can provide evidence of instances of discrimination, harassment and racial defamation.
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