Australian Jewish Leaders Connect Opera House Ruling to Middle East Peace Hopes, Warn Antisemitism Will Persist
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Jewish community leaders welcomed Thursday’s dual developments—a court ban on Sydney Opera House protests and announcement of an Israel-Hamas peace agreement—while cautioning that two years of intensified antisemitism in Australia cannot be easily reversed despite potential conflict resolution in the Middle East, according to statements from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in a Skynews interview, described Thursday as presenting “very close intersection between what happens abroad in the Middle East, over which we here have no control, and what happens here in our streets, over which we do have some control.”
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The Supreme Court ruling blocking pro-Palestinian protesters from Sydney Opera House addresses longstanding Jewish community concerns about public demonstrations. “It’s something that the Jewish community has been crying out for for two years,” Ryvchin stated outside the courthouse. “Some sort of measures to ensure that what happened on the 9th of October 2023, those deplorable scenes aren’t repeated.”
Ryvchin referenced the October 9, 2023 incident when protesters gathered at the Opera House two days after Hamas’s attack on Israel. The executive emphasized the court’s role in defining protest boundaries while acknowledging free speech principles.
“And to also once again reestablish that while there is a right to free protest, which no one can test and ever understands, no right is boundless, no right is unlimited,” Ryvchin said. “And these protesters, both through what they say and what they do at these protests, but also the frequency, the intention deliberately to take over national landmarks and insinuate themselves into our streets and public places.”
The community leader celebrated restrictions on protest frequency and location. “The fact that it’s happening week on week at the public expense. And finally, a line has been drawn,” Ryvchin stated. “So we’re very pleased with it and we’re pleased for our fellow Australians that they’ll be able to access the Opera House on that day and parts of the city as well.”
News of the Israel-Hamas peace agreement reached Ryvchin as he departed the courthouse. “We came out of court this morning and we read the news about the agreement and the imminent release of the hostages, and we were elated,” Ryvchin said. “This is a joyous moment. It’s something the Jewish community has been praying for and hoping for for so long.”
Ryvchin emphasized the personal dimension of anticipated hostage releases. “And to know that the remaining 20 living hostages will be free, hopefully in a couple of days, with their families. God knows what state they’re in physically and psychologically, but they can begin the process of healing,” he stated.
The executive projected broader humanitarian benefits from military de-escalation. “And hopefully, with the cessation of military action and the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers, the soldiers will be out of harm’s way, Palestinian civilians will be out of harm’s way, and the region can begin to rebuild generally,” Ryvchin said.
However, Ryvchin tempered optimism with stark warnings about persistent antisemitism in Australia. “The first thing is I think we need to understand that if there is a binding peace at an end to this war, that’s a fundamental step and a crucial one, but it won’t solve all our problems,” he stated.
Ryvchin described systematic propagation of anti-Jewish sentiment over the conflict’s duration. “What has transpired in this country and globally for the last two years cannot easily be undone,” he said. “We have seen relentless demonisation, disinformation, propaganda aimed not merely at the Israeli government and those who are in control of the operations of the war, but to Jewish people globally.”
The community leader detailed specific manifestations of antisemitism resurging in Australia. “And we’ve seen the resurrection of ancient hatreds, of ancient myths and stereotypes about Jewish bloodthirstiness, Jewish power and control of the banks and government and public life and all these things,” Ryvchin stated.
Ryvchin projected long-term consequences requiring sustained intervention. “And again, the impact of that, I believe, will be with us for a long, long time,” he said. “And we’ll have a lot of work to do in terms of education programs and outreach, but also law enforcement to ensure that we can again push anti-Semitism out to the periphery of society rather than the mainstream where sadly it’s nestled.”
The executive criticized Australian Greens leader for responses to recent antisemitic violence. When asked about a Manchester synagogue attack, the Greens leader repeatedly referenced Australian arms sales to Israel rather than unequivocally condemning the violence, according to Ryvchin’s characterization.
“David Spears was not asking a trick question,” Ryvchin stated, referring to a television interview. “He was simply asking the leader of the Greens, a party that claims to uphold human rights and anti-racism, to condemn the slaughter of two Jews outside the synagogue on our holiest day.”
Ryvchin expressed frustration with the political response. “And she could not bring herself to simply condemn it and move on,” he said. “As you said, she kept trying to flip it and blame it on Israel and Australia’s relationship with Israel. And it’s scandalous.”
The community leader suggested the incident reveals deeper issues within the Greens party. “And it shows what this party truly stands for and how much they’ve hoodwinked the public into trying to convey this view of themselves as being pro-human rights and progressive, but they’re really not,” Ryvchin stated.
Ryvchin argued the political response demonstrates inability to distinguish different issues. “And when they can peddle this sort of nonsense and can’t distinguish between acts of terror and legitimate policy debates, it shows the wretched state that our public life is in at the moment,” he said.
The executive called for public accountability. “But I think she should stand condemned and I think the public has seen what this party truly stands for over the last couple of years,” Ryvchin stated.
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma, Australia’s former ambassador to Israel, supported both the court decision and peace agreement while connecting them to Australia’s international reputation. “I think it would have been putting the law to one side. It would have been a terrible look for a protest to go ahead at one of our most iconic sites when the rest of the world is likely to be celebrating a ceasefire,” Sharma stated.
Sharma referenced the October 2023 Opera House incident as particularly damaging. “It was a terrible look when it happened on October 9, 2023, two days after the Hamas massacre when protesters stormed the Opera House and it would make Australia look terrible on the world stage,” he said.
The senator characterized the Middle East peace agreement as transformative for regional power dynamics. “But I think that once the dust settles on this, we will see a whole new Middle East,” Ryvchin stated. “And we’ve seen Iran severely diminish. We’ve seen Hezbollah fundamentally weakened. Hamas will hopefully be non-existent as a factor in Palestinian affairs. So I think there’s real hope now for a period of peace to come.”
Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser expressed cautious optimism while acknowledging the conflict’s human toll. “It’s obviously good news,” Leeser said at Parliament House. “But today is a day, obviously, where I’m thinking about those people who’ve lost lives and families who’ve lost loved ones in the conflict.”
Australia’s Coalition leadership issued a joint statement through Liberal leader Sussan Ley and shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash. “Today marks a hopeful first step toward the release of hostages held for over two years, the end of this war, and the beginning of enduring peace,” they stated, while noting “now is not the time for protest.”
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