Ireland’s Chief Rabbi has urged people to confront the “brutal hatred” for Jews that lurks in the darkest corners of Irish society.
Yesterday on Bondi Beach, two gunmen killed 15 people celebrating Hanukkah and seriously injured several more.
Among the dead was a Holocaust survivor, who had fled to Australia from Ukraine in the wake of Putin’s invasion.
The attack comes just months after Jews were murdered while attending a Yom Kippur service in Manchester, England.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder described the carnage as “utterly sickening”.
“At this stage, regrettably, it’s not something that has come as a complete surprise,” he said.
“But this was a heinous act of bloodthirsty terror and, first and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and the families.
“Let’s be completely clear, this was not just an attack on the Jewish people, it was also an attack on the civilised values that underpin our whole society.
“A world in which people cannot go to the beach and celebrate their faith without fearing for their lives is a world that is unsafe for all decent people.”
Mourners place flowers at a memorial at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Picture by: Australian Associated Press/Alamy Live News.In the aftermath of the Second World War, large numbers of Jews emigrated to Australia to build new lives for themselves.
Per capita, Australia has the highest number of Holocaust survivors of any country in the world, other than Israel.
Despite this history of refuge, Rabbi Wieder said that the “writing in Australia was on the wall”.
“There's been a steady rise of anti-Semitic incidents reported across the country,” he said.
“In Sydney itself, in the aftermath of October 7th, protesters were marching through the streets, chanting ‘globalise the intifada’ and ‘gas the Jews’.
“And from what was reported, no serious action was taken at the time and when explicit calls for the murder of Jewish people are ignored, when there are no real consequences, it sends a dangerous message.”
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Rabbi Wieder added that while there has been more physical violence against Jewish people in Australia than in Europe, Irish Jews have “very real concerns” as well.
“There's been a rise in hatred, a sharp rise in hatred against Jewish people - both online and in real life, anti-Semitic incidents,” he said.
“And it's been rapid and it's deeply disturbing; there's been a one sided inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric that has become normal across much of Irish media and politics.
“And like it or not, that atmosphere gives confidence to those who seek to intimidate and target Jewish communities in Ireland - even when politicians and commentators never intended it in that way.”
Members of the Jewish community comfort each other near to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, where two people died in a terror attack. Picture by: Almay.com.Rabbi Wieder stressed that most people who attend marches in solidarity with the people of Gaza are not antisemitic, but urged them to consider how the rhetoric at such events impacts on the Jewish community.
“I believe that most people, when they attend, they intend only to oppose the actions of the Israeli government or against Israel,” he said.
“And when politicians or people on the street say that, again, for the most part, I don't doubt their sincerity.
“But it is important to know that this distinction doesn't hold up in practice for those who are seeking to intimidate and to marginalise the Jewish community.
“And this type of constant one-sided rhetoric has emboldened them.”
Security
In the aftermath of the attack, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly reached out to Rabbi Wieder to discuss how security at Jewish communal events could be scaled up.
“It's about intelligence to learn of any potential threats before it's too late,” Rabbi Wieder said.
“It's about holding accountable anyone who's made threats or incited violence.
“And then, of course, it's, as you said, increased security around communal institutions and events.
Rabbi Wieder said Irish Jews are “so grateful” for the help they have received from Gardaí over the years and urged all Irish people to play a role in combatting antisemitism.
“The answer cannot always be to further increase security and to build our fences higher and higher,” he said.
“There is a brutal hatred against Jewish people in parts of the West and unfortunately in parts of Irish society, too.
“And this needs to be confronted and uprooted.”
Main image: A split of flowers near Bondi Beach and the Chief Rabbi. Picture by: Alamy and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis.
