Israel adds her voice
Israel’s Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett has voiced the State of Israel’s solidarity with the Australian Jewish community on Sunday in response to the act of violence against five Jews in Sydney on Friday night.
Naftali Bennett
Minister Bennett held consultations with his ministry’s staff over the weekend and on Sunday spoke with President of the NSW Board of Deputies Yair Miller to receive an update on the progress of the investigation and the condition of the wounded.
He added that the State of Israel stood beside the Jewish community in Sydney and he offered any assistance needed during this difficult time.
“We are a single people no matter how far away we might be geographically,” Minister Bennett said. “The State of Israel stands together with the Australian Jewish community.”
In Australian the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission has added its voice to those outraged by the attack on Shlomo Ben-Haim, Eli, Leah and Shlomo Behar and Ze’ev Aronstam which took place close to Bondi Beach late on Friday night as they were walking home from Shabbat dinner.
ADC chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said: “
Dr Dvir Abramovich
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission today condemned a violent attack against a Jewish family and called on the community to come together to make clear that any manifestations of hate and vilification are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
ADC Chairman, Dr. Dvir Abramovich said: “The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission is horrified and disheartened to learn of this tragic incident where an innocent family was the victim of an ugly and violent attack allegedly because of their Jewishness.
This attack is shocking on many levels and we commend the police for their swift apprehension of the suspects and for taking quick and decisive action to investigate whether this was a bias-motivated attack. We call on the authorities to prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent permitted under NSW laws.
Anti-Semitic and racially-motivated crimes have an impact far beyond the individual victim of the assault. When an individual is singled out because of their religion or ethnicity, other members of that group feel unsafe and unwelcome. Such disturbing crimes resonate throughout the victim’s community and threaten the well-being and safety and of every member of that group.
We call on political, communal, religious, educational and social leaders to take heed of this vile and heinous attack. Such behaviour must be publicly condemned, and we call upon the community to come together to speak out loudly against such acts and to make clear that Australia is no place for hate. It is our responsibility as a society to take action to address and eliminate such blind prejudice.”
The United Muslim Women Association has issued the following statement:
The Muslim Women’s Association (MWA) would like to express itsconcern and condemnation at the reported assault of a group of Jewish people that occurred in Bondi on the evening of Friday 25th October.
Violence of any form is abhorrent but when it is racially or religiously motivated it is even more horrific.
“The day that one gets targeted simply on the basis of their faith or race is a sad day for multiculturalism in Australia. I know that we as a community are stronger and more resilient than one tragic incident but it means that we need to work harder as a community to ensure that this does not happen again,” said MsMaha KrayemAbdo, Executive Officer of MWA.
As citizens of this country, we have much to be proud of in our multicultural and multifaith Australia.
Australia is the envy of the world as we symbolize a beautiful melting pot of cultures, religions, ethnicities and languages. Discrimination, vilification and violence has no place in such a society.
Furthermore, MWA would like to extend it’s thoughts and prayers with the victims of this violent assault as well as with the Australian Jewish community.
