Antisemitism: The many faces & how we can turn the tide
Growing up with a grandmother who survived Auschwitz, I learned at a very young age where unchecked antisemitism can lead.
A few years ago, researching my genealogy, I created a family tree. It’s jarring to look at. Hundreds of branches all end prematurely in a short period in the 1940s.
My experiences aren’t unusual in our community, yet anytime I share them with a non-Jew, their blank expressions make clear how abnormal our situation is. Believe it or not, in Australia, it’s only Jewish 4-year-old children who need guards carrying guns protecting them at pre-school.
So much has been written about antisemitism, yet in 2022, this scourge is making a dramatic resurgence. (not that it ever disappeared, antisemites just temporarily felt the need to conceal their hatred)
Statistics from the ECAJ show an astronomical 35% increase in antisemitic incidents last year. However, we know the problem is severely underreported. I personally know many victims who haven’t come forward.
In the face of this challenge, I believe there are 5 lessons we need to internalise to turn the tide against the antisemites.
In my work for the Australian Jewish Association (AJA), I am on the frontlines in the battle against antisemitism. AJA members and the wider community come to AJA for help when facing antisemitism. Over the past year, we have confronted the whole gamut of antisemites, from advising about anti-vaxxers spouting anti-Jewish conspiracy theories to taking action against radical Muslims calling for the ‘necks of Jews’.
Read the article by Robert Gregory (AJA) in The Social Blueprint.