What the Melbourne synagogue attack shows us about antisemitism in the diaspora – editorial

One day earlier, on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Australia’s Labor government motivated the crime with anti-Israel policies.

Netanyahu drew a clear line between the attack and the “anti-Israel spirit” of Albanese’s center-left government, the policies of which include support of a recent UN motion backing a Palestinian state. He posited that the two could not be separated.

Although global antisemitism has surged since October 7, caution should be used before tying in Israel to every antisemitic attack.

The Melbourne attack broadcast two messages. First, that Jews aren’t safe, anywhere, and second, that anything can be a target if the ends, whatever they may be, are justified enough in the mind of its attackers.

Australia’s government defended its record on antisemitism, saying on Saturday that since Albanese took office in May 2022, the government has provided A$25 million ($16 m.) to upgrade security at Jewish sites including schools, banned the Nazi salute, and taken action against hate speech. Laws passed last year also banned public displays of terror group symbols.

However, this is a late-stage Band-Aid to the equivalent of a heart condition. The sense of a lack of legitimacy and safety did not begin with the Melbourne arson attack. There was the June vandalizing and arson of Jewish parliamentarian Josh Burns’ office, and the defacement of vehicles, along with arson, in Sydney in November. A report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry found a 316% increase in anti-Jewish incidents in Australia from October 7, 2023, through this past September.

“Everyone has the right to be proud of who they are and to feel welcome, safe, and supported in Australia,” Albanese said on Sunday. “Antisemitism has no place in our country. We unequivocally condemn it.”

The Australian government on Monday, three days after the attack, announced the formation of a counter-antisemitism task force. The Special Operation Avalite for Antisemitism will work with state and territory police to address issues like calls to violence or the advocating for terrorism or genocide.

But the government must do more. Unlike what Netanyahu said, this is not just about Israel, and tying between those two things can devalue the scope and trauma of the attack.

In a world growing more globalized by the day, with identities blurring, it is important to separate attacks like these from each other when they happen. They are domestic incidents first and must be tackled as such. Let’s hope the Australian government follows up on its promises and that the Australian Jewish community begins to feel the effects of personal safety again soon.