A call to action: Disturbing Trend Must End
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria and the Community Security Group have published the latest Victorian Antisemitism Report.
President of the JCCV Philip Zajac
The report covers all incidents of anti-Jewish hate reported to the CSG in 2023. It shows an unprecedented surge in reported antisemitic incidents in Victoria.
The report found that throughout 2023, Victoria’s Jewish community was subject to a dramatic and unprecedented increase in vilification, hatred, and racism, both before and after Hamas’ terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Prior to Hamas’ terror attack on Israel, more incidents were reported between January 1 and October 6, 2023, than in all of 2022. A majority of these incidents were expressly linked to Neo-Nazi or far-right ideology.
252 incidents were reported between October 7 and December 31, accounting for 69% of all incidents in 2023. Incident counts peaked in October and early November, even before the Israeli military counter-offensive began. Less than 24 hours after Hamas’ attack, two
vehicles drove past various synagogues in Caulfield North and shouted towards Jewish community members “we killed your whole country in 1 day” and “you Jews should die.”
“When you look at the long list of incidents at the end of the report, you need to remember that there is at least one Jewish person behind each encounter,” said Philip Zajac, President of JCCV. “These racist and bigoted incidents cause pain and distress to victims and their families. They make Jewish people feel unsafe and unwelcome in Victoria.”
The release of the report is a timely reminder to the Jewish community to report any incidents of antisemitism to CSG and to Victoria Police.
“CSG has a clear definition of what constitutes an antisemitic incident, and all forms ofantisemitism are unacceptable,” Justin Kagan, CEO of CSG Victoria, explained, “We know that not every antisemitic incident is being reported to CSG. But the more reports we
receive the clearer the picture is of what is happening, and the better we can allocate resources to protecting the Jewish community.”
Zajac concluded: “This report continues the JCCV’s call to action to leaders across Victoria.
The JCCV is asking our leaders to respond to this data with action not words. We need stronger and better laws, support for security, ongoing investment in antisemitism training, and consequences for public figures who create division.”
To access the report, click on https://jccv.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CKA12658_JCCV.VAC_.2023.Report_FINAL.WEB_.pdf
