A Jewish man and his son were subject to an anti-Semitic verbal attack in the heart of the Jewish community in Melbourne last week, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The father and son were standing next to a busy street when a man yelled at them: “What are you looking at Jew dogs?” and continued to verbally assault them with expletive-laced comments, according to Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC).
“I cannot believe that in Australia in 2020 we are still experiencing anti-Semitic incidents on the street,” the victim told the ADC. “I can’t shake off this unsettled feeling that people today are still singling out Jews as open targets for abuse without fear of repercussions. What if that individual had attacked someone who was alone or unable to defend themselves?”
ADC chairman Dr. Dvir Abramovich said that the incident is “part of a broader and alarming pattern and is another undeniable reminder that anti-Semitism in Australia is alive and well.”
“It may be an uncomfortable truth for some, but the reality is that the rising wave of hatred against Jews here is becoming commonplace.”
“This is a palpable crisis, unfolding across the country, that is only getting worse with the number of reported incidents on a scale I have not witnessed before. These threatening flames are escalating, and are making members of the Jewish community feel less safe on our streets.”
“This terrifying incident provides further evidence that racists are less inhibited about expressing their savage sentiments in public, and that we must all redouble our efforts to stamp out this dangerous phenomenon,” Abramovich concluded.
Anti-Semitism is not the only ill that Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria, is suffering from in recent weeks. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announced that a curfew is being imposed on the city for the next six weeks as of Sunday in the wake of the soaring rate of coronavirus infections in recent days.
Andrews also declared a state of disaster and is imposing stage four restrictions in the state of Victoria as of Sunday at 6 p.m. Sunday’s announcement follows 571 new coronavirus cases diagnosed in Victoria overnight and seven deaths.
“You will no longer be able to leave home and go any further away from your home than a 5km radius,” Andrews said, addressing the residents of Melbourne. “You will not be able to be at any point more than 5km away from your home for the purposes of shopping for what you need.”
“Only one person will be able to go shopping once per day and they will need to secure the goods and services that are what you need within a 5km radius.
“In terms of exercise, recreation is now no longer allowed. You will be able to have one hour of exercise, no further than 5km from your home. That means it’s fresh air. It’s a jog. It’s a walk. It’s in your local neighborhood.”
“Police will be out in force and you will be stopped and you will be asked and need to demonstrate that you are lawfully out and you are not breaching that curfew.
“Going to a mate’s place, visiting friends, being out and about for no good reason, all that will do is spread this virus.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
6 Responses
Abandon Australia and move to Israel or America.
I find it hard to believe this is in the news, i went out just yesterday to a shopping mall, i had over 7 anti semitic verbal attacks in three hours, this is what we live with, we are in golus. this is a everyday occurance where i live. No i dont report them, and get annoyed, we are in golus. i take them as a message from Hashem to do תשובה.
Words are nothing. Australia has always had that level of antisemitism, of words occasionally shouted from a passing car. Not every day, but once in a while. In a country with freedom of speech that wouldn’t even be illegal, and for most of Australia’s history it wasn’t. But Australia has no history of serious antisemitism; physical attacks were extremely rare until the wave of Moslem immigration started in the ’90s, and such attacks from non-Moslems are still rare.
curfew is being imposed on the city for the next six weeks as of Sunday i.e. until 1st day of סליחות, but please make your own arrangements for תקיעת-שופר at home during אלול
KGN, so because the man was yelled at, he should move to the most dangerous country for Jews, that has consistently ranked the highest in physical attacks against Jews for the last three decades. Where Jews are rammed with cars, slashed with knives, burned with balloons, shot at with guns and missiles, and attacked with stones and bricks. Sage advice, sage advice.
I love Zionists who tell us that Israel makes Jews safe. They are happy as long as every time a Jew is hurt we retaliate. Shows you what their “love” for Jews is really about.
Navy-man, totally with you. Where I grew up, this is daily.
147, is there any obligation on an individual to hear the shofar in Elul? I’ve never seen a source for one. As far as I know the minhag is for the shofar to be blown, not for an individual to hear it. The purpose is היתקע שופר בעיר, and for that it is sufficient to know that it is being blown.
Or if one wishes one can hear it over the telephone or the internet; that is not called “hearing”, and on Rosh Hashana one does not fulfill the mitzvah of לשמוע with such a thing, but it does let one know that the blowing happened, and therefore that one should be afraid and should be preparing for judgment.