text that says 'racism'

Jewish groups say 18C should be retained

High-profile Jewish groups have distanced themselves from comments made by two members of the Jewish community slamming sections 18C and 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Dr David Adler, a health professional from Sydney, and Avi Yemini, a Melbourne-based former Israeli soldier, wrote in a submission to a parliamentary joint committee on human rights the two sections are “inconsistent with Jewish theology”, do not address anti-Semitism and would have muzzled biblical prophets.

However, Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Jewish group B’nai B’rith’s Anti-Defamation Commission, said the two men do not speak for the broader community.

“Through our work combating bigotry and anti-Semitism, we have found that effective protections against racial and religious vilification are a necessary tool in countering the unique harm caused by this type of hate speech and incitement,” he said.

Read the full article by Sam Buckingham-Jones at The Australian.