Community message
- Published November 3 2024
- Community Message
Community message from JCCV President, Philip Zajac.
SUPPORT, CULTURE, AND ANTISEMITISM
I LOVE MELBOURNE BUT...
I love Melbourne, I was born here, it is my home. But there is something really rotten in our city.
This week in Melbourne we have heard:
- A Jewish shopkeeper told “we don’t need your kind here”.
- A soccer star playing in Melbourne booed whenever he touched the ball for no reason except he is Israeli.
- A pro-Palestinian heckler at a rock concert called out by the visiting British artist for ruining the show.
Yes, there is a terrible conflict in the Middle East. But abusing Jews or Israelis going about their business in Melbourne and hijacking concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl is not going to bring us a step closer to peace. In fact, it spreads the conflict to our streets and leaves our community feeling unsafe and unwelcome.
I was proud to see so many people go and support Tim at Brunswick East Wine. I am heartened that there is a community effort to get behind Melbourne City FC player Yonatan Cohen and I thank Thom Yorke for calling out the poor behaviour of the trouble-maker at his concert.
PROGRESS IN POLICE INVESTIGATIONS
This week, I met with Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Tim Hansen to discuss progress on the investigation into a police officer who allegedly made Nazi gestures. Tim leads the Victoria Police Academy, where the police officer involved is based and where the incidents took place.
Tim assured us the matter is being treated with the utmost seriousness and is in no way a reflection on Victoria Police.
We discussed the need for ongoing education to help all police better understand the impact of growing support for far-right causes. The JCCV will continue to work with CSG to ensure Victoria Police officers, particularly those going through the Police Academy, have an opportunity to meet and learn from Jewish people.
I also received an update from Victoria Police on a terrible Nazi-inspired graffiti spree in Melbourne’s east.
A 49-year-old man was arrested and charged with a number of crimes, including prohibited display of Nazi symbols, after spray painting racist messages across shops in Wantirna Mall.
The graffiti has been removed and police have told me they do not believe the activity was targeted at Jewish people.
This arrest shows the importance of strong laws and responsive community police.
Investigations are ongoing into unrelated recent neo-Nazi activity at a rally at Docklands and outside the Chinese consulate in Toorak.
It is just grotesque to me, as the son of Holocaust survivors, that we continue to confront this hideous ideology in Melbourne in 2024.
SUPPORT FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY AND ISRAEL
I joined a small group of community leaders this week at East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation to meet with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
He expressed his concern and support for the Jewish community of Australia and his unwavering support for the State of Israel. Dutton is one of the few senior Australian leaders who has visited Israel in the past year, travelling to meet with political leaders and survivors of October 7.
A SECRET CHORD
This week, I was lucky enough to be at the launch of the Jewish Museum of Australia’s A Secret Chord exhibition. This exhibition is enhanced by musical performances each Sunday, which if the launch was anything to go by, will be the real highlight!
We were treated to a remarkable performance of old favourites and a rendition of Hurricane by Eden Golan, Israel’s entrant for Eurovision 2024, by Deborah Conway and Willy and Hettie Zygier.
Music is a powerful part of Jewish culture and history from King David’s harp to Leonard Cohen’s Who By Fire. Click here to learn more about the exhibition.
