Today, on the first day of Term 4, my children will take part in the commemoration of the October 7 atrocities in Israel during the school assembly. Coincidentally, it’s also my son’s 18th birthday. Reflecting on the past year fills me with a flood of emotions – words like mortified, shocked, and disgusted come to mind when I think of what our city streets have turned into. A year ago, I would have laughed if someone had told me what a typical Sunday in the CBD would look like today.

In 2019, I went on a life-changing trip to Poland with my father. We visited the places where my grandparents once lived, where they were herded onto trains bound for death camps, and stood at the sites of gas chambers that claimed the lives of their entire families. Upon my return, I still questioned how an educated German society could allow such a regime to rise to power, unleashing unimaginable torture, pain, and death on entire populations, including six million Jews. Out of the community where my grandparents lived, only a few hundred survived. Now, seeing what is happening in Australia, those questions have sadly been answered.

I sadly say how thankful my Holocaust survivor grandparents are no longer here to experience this. My grandfather gave his Holocaust testimony to the Spielberg Shoah Foundation in the 1990s. His final message to the next generations was:

‘You are lucky to grow up in a country like Australia, a country free of the antisemitism we grew up with in Poland. Don’t let anyone make you feel second class. Always be kind to all mankind, but importantly, always be a proud Jew.’

It is a message I hold dearly and one I will never let go of. It is a message I have instilled in my children as well.

I never believed we would ever see Australian cities turn into the streets of Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Hungary, and other European cities of the 1930s where the current government would appease those who yell ‘Death to Jews’, ‘Gas the Jews’, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free (of Jews)’ and many other similar chants, reminiscent of that pre-Holocaust era. The Holocaust didn’t start at the Concentration camps. It followed years of boycotts, restrictions, harassment, and expulsions from employment and universities.

I never imagined the day would come when ‘Death to Jews’ would be scrawled on my children’s school, or that a pogrom could occur so close to home in Caulfield, Melbourne, after a burger shop was firebombed and falsely blamed on Jews. I never thought I would see Jewish people doxed from a WhatsApp chat, resulting in threats, bullying, and intimidation so severe that businesses were forced to relocate or close down. I never imagined hate speech would become normalised, with the government appeasing those responsible and demonstrating a complete failure of leadership.

I never expected a radical political party might openly suggest that Jews in Australia deserve criticism simply for being Zionists. Zionism, the belief that Jews have a right to their ancestral homeland in Israel – dating back over 3,500 years, long before the founding of Islam – has tragically become a new form of antisemitism.

I never thought I’d see politicians sign a letter calling for the reinstatement of government funding to UNRWA, despite evidence that some of this funding ends up supporting terrorists. It is possible that these funds could be helping to build extensive tunnel networks in Gaza, larger than the London Underground, and used to support the ‘pay-for-slay’ program, where families are financially rewarded for suicide attacks carried out in the name of Allah, all while Hamas and Hezbollah leaders enjoy luxurious lives in Qatar. My own is one of those who signed that letter.

I never imagined that the Foreign Minister of my country would visit Israel but decline an invitation to visit the site where an Australian citizen was murdered by terrorists on October 7, nor that the Prime Minister would refuse to visit Israel altogether. Rather, the head of Australian Palestine Advocacy Network says they have never had such a big supporter of their cause in the lodge. Albanese and Wong refuse to face reality and see the footage of the October 7 atrocities.

I never believed the Australian government would capitulate to terrorism, appease those who support regimes that foster terror, and fail to defend Australian values and allies, instead yielding to those who aim to erode the moral fabric of our nation.

I never thought I’d see war memorials vandalised without consequence, or that our government would reward terrorism by recognising it in the UN. Freedom must always be defended, and we must honour those who have fought for it. One of the proudest achievements of Hon. Tim Wilson in Parliament was helping to officially list Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations. I am still shocked that so many people fail to recognise what these groups stand for and openly support them. Their antisemitism clearly overshadows any concern for the harm they inflict on their own populations, including the torture and murder of women and children, all in the name of Islam.

I never imagined that universities would be overrun by protests and demonstrations, encouraged by Vice Chancellors and university staff. Now, I find myself concerned for my son’s safety as he prepares to enter this environment at university.

We will not be intimidated. We will always stand proudly for who we are and what we believe in. Our Jewish community in Australia is strong and has made significant contributions to the country, and we will continue to do so well into the future. We will not bow to these radicals.

I never felt the need to ask my grandfather what he would say today. I would ask him, ‘Are we fortunate to still be living in Australia?’ Unless we change our government and vote in the Coalition, who have been vocal about those who support Hamas and Hezbollah and have demonstrated true leadership, I fear the answer will be no!