Envoy wants education programs to counter antisemitism ignorance

Sydney Morning Herald

21 hours ago

Australia's government-appointed envoy against antisemitism has called for mandatory training across the education and corporate sectors following a new round of antisemitic attacks.
Jillian Segal, a businesswoman appointed by Labor to tackle bigotry towards Jewish Australians, revealed in an interview with this masthead that her next major recommendation for antisemitism training was aimed at reducing societal ignorance about the problem.
'It all starts with words, but it doesn't end in words,' she said, while commending Labor's moves earlier this year to criminalise hate speech.
Her recommendation follows a series of antisemitic attacks in Melbourne on Friday that rattled Australia's Jewish community. They came after a spate of similar occurrences over the summer, against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the events, representing the controversial leader's second recent thrust into Australian issues as the federal government hardens its stance against his war effort in Gaza.
A 34-year-old man from the western Sydney suburb of Toongabbie, Angelo Loras, fronted court in Melbourne on Sunday, charged with endangering life after he allegedly lit on fire the front door of a historic inner Melbourne synagogue while families with small children shared Shabbat dinner inside. He had never previously been in custody, the court heard. Nobody was physically injured.
Netanyahu said in a statement in the early hours of Sunday morning: 'I view with utmost gravity the antisemitic attacks that occurred last night in Melbourne, which included attempted arson of a synagogue in the city and a violent assault against an Israeli restaurant by pro-Palestinian rioters.'
'The reprehensible antisemitic attacks, with calls of 'death to the IDF' and an attempt to attack a place of worship, are severe hate crimes that must be uprooted,' he said.
'We demand that the Australian government take all action to deal with the rioters.'