Antisemitism is back
Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold has delivered this year’s Gandel Oration in Melbourne and Sydney.
Dvir Abramovich, Ambassador Dore Gold and John Gandel
He told the audience at Sydney’s Moriah College “Antisemitism is back”.
Going back into history, Ambassador Gold told of how he debated Richard Goldstone at Brandeis University following the publication of the Goldstone Report which accused Israel and the Palestinian Authority of committing war crimes during 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead war.
But the main thrust of his speech was focused on the activities of the UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
He said: “If Corbyn becomes the next prime minister that would constitute an existential threat to British Jewry.”
Gold added: “In 2009, Corbyn splashed on to the pages of newspapers when he called Hamas and Hezbollah his friends.”
The audience learned that in its charter, Hamas calls for the destruction of Jewry.
According to Ambassador Gold, Jeremy Corbyn has “unleashed a tidal wave of antisemitism.”
In his oration Dore Gold spoke about Israel’s humanitarian moves in establishing field hospitals to help injured Syrians.
It was an interesting lecture delivered by a man who had once been advisor to prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu and who had been director the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.
Both Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-defamation Commission and acting president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies Leslie Berger both offered sincere thanks to John and Pauline Gandel for establishing and funding the Gandel orations.
This was the 35th annual oration.
