A Rosh Hashanah message from Peter Dutton
Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton writes: “The last 12 months constitute one of the most difficult periods faced by Jewish people around the world since the end of the Second World War.
Peter Dutton visits the Nova Festival site
Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 last year saw the greatest loss of Jewish life on a single day since the Holocaust. The barbaric events that day, and the subsequent attacks on Israel from Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis, bring into sharp relief the threats Israel continues to face.
Perversely, the tragedy of October 7 has laid bare an anti-Semitic rot afflicting democracies around the world. For in the days after the attack, pro-Palestinian marches began to take place with many protesters endorsing Hamas’s actions and chanting the genocidal slogan, “From the river to sea, Palestine will be free.”
On our own soil, on October 9, a seething mob gathered on the steps of the Sydney Opera House seeking to strike fear into the hearts of Jewish Australians and incite violence against them. Due to a vacuum of political leadership, those inciting hatred and violence against Jewish Australians have been emboldened and we’ve seen a more than 700 per cent increase in anti-Semitic events in Australia.
Since October 7, I’ve attended vigils and synagogue services. I’ve delivered speeches and written columns. I travelled to Israel where I spoke with survivors and the families of hostages; I visited a kibbutz and the site of the Nova music festival where innocent people were butchered; I watched footage of Hamas’s atrocities; and I met with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Israel Katz. I’ve done these things to show that I – and the Coalition – stand with our ally Israel and with Australians of Jewish faith. And we will not waver.
In Australia, anti-Semitism is not only a threat to one segment of our community. It’s a threat to our social cohesion, to our democratic values, and to our way of life. I am determined to turn the tide of anti-Semitism afflicting our country through political leadership which provides moral clarity and acts with moral courage to restore law, order and social cohesion.
Given the shocking and abhorrent events of the last 12 months, it is more important than ever for Australia’s Jewish community to commemorate the Jewish New Year with family and friends.
May your coming together be a reminder of the Jewish people’s spirit of strength, solidarity and survival – a spirit which has seen them overcome every trial and tribulation faced in the past; and a spirit which will see Jewish people today prevail over present ordeals. May your celebration of Rosh Hashanah this year be a roar of courage and confidence – one which makes it clear that civilisation will not cower in the face of evil. In this, I join you in celebrating Rosh Hashanah.
