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Euroasian Jewish News
Anti-semitic flash, Australia, March 2003
26.03.2003 Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Public Relations and Media Department is informing you about the Open letter of Jeremy Jones, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) General Council Member, and Executive Council of Australian Jewry President.
March 25, 2003
On behalf of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the elected representative org-n of the Australian Jewish Community, I write to convey the concerns of the Australian Jewish Community at the way in which Jewish Australians have been subjected to public vilification and harassment in the course of the debate on the merits of the war on Iraq.
In the past two weeks, in particular, the slur that American foreign policy is controlled by some form of "Jewish conspiracy" has been broadcast or written on numerous occasions. We have seen how Australia's racist and extremist groups have seized on the airing of this anti-Jewish myth in the mainstream media to justify their hatred of Jews and their attempts to take away from the quality of life of Jewish Australians.
This organization has also recorded a number of incidents of vandalism and street harassment, which are completely unacceptable.
On Friday March 21, graffiti was daubed in Sydney's Condell Park reading, "Kill the Jews".
On Friday March 21, a Synagogue in Sydney's southwest was the subject of an attempt at arson (which fortunately caused only minor damage).
On Saturday March 22, the Jewish Museum in Melbourne was vandalized, with glass doors and panels smashed.
On Monday March 24, anti-Jewish graffiti was spray-painted at the entrance to a university in Sydney.
During 1991, at the time of the previous war on Iraq, there were attempts at arson at one quarter of Sydney's synagogues, with the Bankstown Synagogue being damaged to such a degree that it could not be rebuilt.
During the past twelve months, there have been in this country hundreds of documented acts of overt anti-Jewish hostility, including assault, property vandalism, street harassment, hate mail, threatening telephone calls and E-mails, graffiti and sticker and leaflet campaigns.
The Jewish Community calls on Australians in positions of moral and political leadership to publicly condemn all manifestations of anti-Semitism, as well as any other racial hatred, which emerges during this time of tension.
Yours sincerely
Jeremy Jones,
Executive Council of Australian Jewry President, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) General Council Member
the EAJC Public Relations and Media Department
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