‘Tsunami of hate’: Even a Holocaust survivor isn’t immune to rising tide of anti-Semitic abuse

A Holocaust survivor has told of the “astonishing” moment a Sydney man jumped out of his car and yelled “not enough of your people have been burned in the oven”.

The 83-year-old Ernie Friedlander had driven his car into a parking space on a Sydney side street when a man who was also vying for the spot became frustrated and got out of his car to hurl anti-Semitic abuse.

Having no idea how the man recognised he was Jewish, Mr Friedlander said he was “horrified” and “flabbergasted” by what happened.

On Friday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg urged for students to be taught more about the Holocaust, after a five-year-old schoolboy was allegedly called a “Jewish cockroach” while a 12-year-old Jewish student was allegedly forced to kneel before a Muslim classmate and kiss shoes.

Sadly, it appears these instances of abuse are becoming more commonplace in Australia.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said he is notified of anti-Semitic hate incidents “almost on a daily basis”.

“Whether it’s to do with social media, whether it’s to do with schools, the workplace, this is a tsunami of hate that has surged to unprecedented levels over the last few years,” Dr Abramovich said.

Read the article by Chritiane Barro in The New Daily.