24 January 2025

'It's very heartening': Canberra's Jewish community encouraged by local reaction to wave of antisemitism

| James Coleman
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National Jewish Memorial Centre

The National Jewish Memorial Centre in Forrest. Photo: James Coleman.

Canberra’s Jewish community has thanked the city for its “support”, even as a wave of antisemitic attacks sweeps across Australia’s other capitals.

Cars, synagogues and other buildings have been torched or vandalised in Melbourne and Sydney in recent weeks, with dozens of arrests made.

It’s prompted the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to suspect organised crime groups with foreign funding might be responsible, and governments, both state and federal, are looking at ways to toughen up hate-crime laws.

Meanwhile, here in the ACT, the Jewish Memorial Centre in Forrest is optimistic things will be different.

“In Canberra, we’re blessed by a smaller area and a smaller community, but, that said, there have been incidents reported to us by members of our community,” ACT Jewish Community assistant secretary and treasurer Jerry Lissing says.

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Centre staff, including Mr Lissing, met with members of ACT Policing last week to discuss some changes they’re making “to be vigilant”.

“We’ve stepped up our security and reduced office hours so we have more staff working from home because we don’t want our ladies in the office if an incident does occur at the centre itself.”

Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, Mr Lissing says the local Jewish community has felt “a lot of angst” as swastikas and anti-Jewish slogans have been plastered to the windows and walls of Jewish-owned businesses across Canberra (most prominently, Anita Gelato in Civic).

He adds the children of some of the centre’s members have also faced “harassment” at school over Israel’s response, and “Jewish people who normally wear their kippah in public have ceased to do so for fear of negative comments”.

“We’ve also had some suspicious people trying to gain access to the building, and when we turned them away, they became very agitated,” he says.

Antisemitic vandalism at Anita Gelato in Civic

Anita Gelato in Civic has been plastered with antisemitic stickers several times in recent months. Photo: Australian Jewish Association.

Police have commenced regular patrols of the centre, and staff inside have been given a direct hotline to police if an incident does occur.

Mr Lissing criticises both federal and state governments for letting antisemitism simmer for as long as it has, arguing “governments of all persuasions weren’t tough enough at the beginning”.

“Freedom of speech is fine, but when you have people at rallies holding signs that say ‘kill the Jews’ or ‘gas the Jews’, that’s definitely incitement to violence and that’s the line in the sand,” he says.

“I am the son of two Auschwitz survivors. I lost 82 members of my family out of 92, and my parents came to Australia as a safe haven to get away from Europe and all that hate. All I can say is I’m glad my parents aren’t alive to see what’s happening at the moment.”

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However, for every concerning report, he says there are just as many encouraging ones.

Jerry says staff have not received any death threats, and “by and large, the pro-Palestinian, pro-Gazan demonstrations have generally been quite peaceful in Canberra, apart from a few incidents”.

Mr Lissing gives particular mention of ACT Policing – who have been “wonderful” – as well as both sides of ACT politics, including James Milligan and Leanne Castley from the Canberra Liberals, who “came to meet with us on a number of occasions” and independent ACT senator David Pocock.

“David personally rang me after the recent burning of the synagogue in Sydney to express his horror and regret,” he says.

“As a community, we just hope and pray that Canberra continues being Canberra – a kind, caring place – and we appreciate the many Canberrans who have reached out to the community in support. It’s very heartening.”

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