New Zealand Jewish community concerned
The New Zealand Jewish Council is gravely concerned about increasing inflammatory language and misinformation from political and civil society leaders, commentators and media in relation to the current Israel/Hamas conflict.
Spokesperson Juliet Moses said: “We call on all those with a public platform to act responsibly and use their voices to calm tensions in New Zealand, rather than inflaming them.
Clearly, there are different strongly held views about events in the Middle East. Debate and protest are vital to our democracy, but should be conducted without threatening or endangering those who hold other views.
Jews are a small and vulnerable minority in New Zealand. We have already experienced a severe increase in antisemitic activity, as have Jewish communities worldwide.
Our vulnerability increases when false accusations against Israel or the Jewish people are made by public figures. We call for those in a position of power to use their platforms with caution and care and in the interests of cohesion for all of Aotearoa New Zealand.”
