Sydney student newspaper defends itself over accusations of anti-Semitism

Organisations representing the Jewish community have accused the University of Sydney’s student-run newspaper of “textbook anti-Semitism” over a satirical photograph in its weekly publication.

An image published in a satire section of Honi Soit last week shows a blackboard with the words: “Should we get the Jews back for what they did to our absolute boy [Jesus]? Yes or No?“. Pictured next to the blackboard are containers where students can vote for an answer with paddle-pop sticks.

The Australian Union of Jewish Students political affairs director Gabi Stricker-Phelps, daughter of former Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps, said the image was “an instance of a student newspaper openly laughing about taking retribution against Jews”, while her colleague Daniel Elberg labelled it “textbook anti-Semitism”.

“As a student at the University of Sydney I hope that there will be serious consequences for such irresponsible and reckless writing,” Ms Stricker-Phelps said.

But the student editors of Honi Soit, which is published independently by the university’s student council, defended their publication against allegations of anti-Semitism.

They said the image imitates polls conducted by the university’s Catholic society, which stations blackboards around the university campus and invites students to answer ethical questions by placing an object in a container marked yes or no.

“We think it’s quite clearly satirical. It’s the Catholic society we’re making fun of. We reject the idea it was anti-Semitic to publish, because we’re making fun of anti-Semitism within the Catholic church,” the editors said.

Read the article by Natassia Chrysanthos in The Sydney Morning Herald.