In the aftermath of the horrific attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, I find myself unable to stay silent. The firebombing was not merely an antisemitic attack. On Monday, the AFP Deputy Commissioner for National Security will meet with Victoria Police to decide if this was also an act of terror.

In my view, it is terror. ‘Terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community. And the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne, clearly were designed to create fear in the community and therefore, from my personal perspective, certainly fulfil that definition of terrorism,’ said the Prime Minister.

As terrible as the alleged terror attack was, it could have been much worse. And what about next time, if nothing is done?

The Prime Minister also condemned the incident as an ‘attack on Australian values’ while Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton called it ‘absolutely abhorrent’ alleging that the rise of antisemitism since October 7 has been increasing due to the weakness of the current Labor government.

‘The Prime Minister won’t even use the word terrorist attack, and that says something in itself,’ said Mr Dutton, before Albanese did eventually concede it was likely terror related.

Jewish leaders and politicians have called it an antisemitic hate crime – all these words are appreciated and supported. The Australian Jewish Association have labelled this an antisemitic terror attack – the first Jewish body to do so.

Since October 7, we’ve seen pro-Palestinian mobs across the country march on Jewish schools, synagogues, and businesses chanting hate-filled slogans and intimidating our communities. Antisemitism has escalated to a degree not seen in decades. In my view, the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue is not an isolated incident but rather a symptom of an environment in which Jew-hatred has been normalised, excused, and even celebrated.

Statements of condemnation are not enough. We must shape the discourse and demand that these acts be called what they are – terror. The anti-Israel and anti-Jewish movement certainly doesn’t hesitate to use inflammatory language to advance their cause. The current discourse surrounding the Gaza conflict has been hijacked with terms like ‘genocide’, ‘apartheid’, and ‘ethnic cleansing’. These terms have been weaponised to dehumanise Jews and delegitimise Israel in its war against Terror.

These mobs are winning the public relations war because they are unafraid to set the terms of the debate. Meanwhile, we hedge our language, diminishing the severity of what we face, and effectively are providing fodder to the ongoing antisemitic terror in Australia. We should not hesitate to use the correct terms when violence is inflicted upon us. This was terrorism against Jewish Australians.

This brings me to the next point of tension. This terror attack was not simply against people of the Jewish faith, this was an attack on a nation, a people, a heritage, an ethnicity. Jews are more than a religion. Jews are part of an ethnoreligious nation, sharing a history that encompasses a land through archaeology, architecture, art, traditions, and DNA. Jews have lived in the Diaspora for generations and we do so successfully taking on the shared values of our new homes. Synagogues and Jewish schools are the visible congregation points for Jewish people and provide an easy target for Jew haters, but I am not a religious Jew and like many others, my Jewishness is not defined by faith. We must not minimise the Jewish experience which is diverse in identity. It invites others to dismiss our connection to each other as a community, to our faith-based congregations, our connection to Israel as an ancestral homeland, and feeds the lies perpetuated by Jew hating mobs.

We cannot afford this timidity. To call these acts merely antisemitic attacks against people of the Jewish faith diminishes the urgency of our plight as a people, signals a lack of resolve as antisemitism has become normalised against all Jews, and is dishearteningly lacklustre in the true face of terrorism. I refuse to be a martyr to this silence. I am outraged, as we all should be. It is time for Jewish leaders and our politicians to rise to the occasion, name these attacks for what they are, and defend the Jewish nation with the pride and precision that the moment demands.

Hava Mendelle, Co-founder and Director, Queensland Jewish Collective @qldjewish