Jewish Leader Blames Media for Anti-Semitism, Urges Community Visibility After Manchester Attack
Rabbinical Council president rejects genocide claims as “lies,” defends West Bank settlements while calling on Jews to identify “more as Jewish, not less” despite security fears
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The president of Australia’s Rabbinical Council directly blamed media coverage today for fueling anti-Semitism and called on Jewish people to become more visible rather than hide, rejecting what he described as widespread acceptance of terrorist propaganda about Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Speaking on Sky News Afternoon Agenda following the Manchester terror attack, Nochum Schapiro accused major institutions of leading society “back down that path” where individuals target Jewish people, placing responsibility squarely on government and media.
“The dehumanization that is coming out of the media, I think is disgraceful,” Schapiro said. “The anti-Semitism is placed squarely on the shoulders of the media.”
The Rabbinical Council of Australasia president dismissed claims of starvation and genocide in Gaza as “lies” that media outlets have uncritically adopted from terrorist organizations rather than accepting the perspective of what he called a liberal democracy with institutional checks and balances.
“The fact that the media laps up the lies from the terrorist organizations, as opposed to taking the perspective of a liberal democracy who has an opposition, who has a court that would really, if any of that would have been taking place, would have taken them to task,” Schapiro said.
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Call for Greater Visibility
Despite acknowledging heightened security concerns affecting Jewish organizations and individuals, Schapiro urged the community to become more identifiable rather than less visible in response to threats.
“I would like to suggest that we have to identify more as Jewish, not less as Jewish. Because we cannot let these monsters win,” Schapiro said. “And the way they win is if we cower and we hide.”
He framed increased visibility as essential to fulfilling what he described as Jewish spiritual destiny and purpose.
“We have a spiritual destiny and purpose. And we have to be seen for that to be accomplished,” Schapiro said. “I think the fact that the light of the world is now on the Jewish people is in order for the Jewish people to be able to be the destined light unto the world, light unto the nations. And by hiding, we’re not fulfilling our destiny and purpose.”
When asked whether concerns exist about clearly identifying as Jewish in current conditions, Schapiro acknowledged the natural reaction while rejecting it as appropriate.
“There’s no question that people feel that way. I would hope they wouldn’t, but unfortunately, it’s a natural reaction,” he said.
Manchester Attack Response
Schapiro described the Manchester terror attack as shocking but not surprising, emphasizing the personal impact on the Australian Jewish community.
“It’s always a shock. Of course it’s a shock. It’s a shock, but it’s not surprising,” he said. “But it’s terrible news and everyone takes it very personally and it does hit the Jewish community in general, Australian Jewish community, in a strong way.”
He placed the current moment in the context of historical Jewish survival against existential threats.
“We are a very strong people, and we will outlast the terrorists, we will outlast our enemies,” Schapiro said, referencing biblical narratives and the 1967 Six-Day War as examples where overwhelming odds were overcome.
“If you put a sports meter, when Moses was put in the Nile, or when Esther was sent to the king to undo the decree of Ahasuerus and Haman, or when, prior to the Six-Day War, it would have probably been Egypt, Iran, Arab countries, 99, and Israel won,” he said. “But yet, we have survived, we have thrived, and we will continue to do so.”
Schapiro acknowledged the emotional toll despite historical resilience.
“Of course, it doesn’t take away the tremendous pain,” he said.
Institutional Responsibility
The Rabbinical Council president identified two major institutions as bearing responsibility for creating conditions where individuals target Jewish people: government and media.
“What level of responsibility is there on the two major institutions, government and media, in leading it back down that path so that people like this feel that way?” Schapiro asked, referring to those who might target Jewish individuals over disagreements with Israeli government policy.
He characterized the distinction between Israeli policy and individual Jewish people as “obviously ridiculous” but argued media and government behavior enables such thinking.
Defense of Israeli Democracy
Schapiro defended Israel’s democratic institutions as fundamentally different from what he termed “Islamic fundamentalism” with goals of world domination.
“Israel is a Western democratic country, which has checks and balances and has a, their system is part of the end, so to speak. Whereas the terrorists, Islamic fundamentalism, there’s no values other than their end goal, which is world domination,” he said.
He pointed to Israel’s court system as a safeguard against misconduct.
“If Israel did something even by the way that was wrong, their quite far-left court system would come down on them like a ton of bricks,” Schapiro said.
The president characterized allegations of starvation or genocide as demonstrably false claims that would trigger internal Israeli legal mechanisms if true.
“All this shouting of all these lies of starvation or genocide are just that lies,” he said.
West Bank Settlement Defense
When questioned about media criticism of the Netanyahu government’s approach to West Bank settlements and courts, Schapiro defended settlements as necessary security measures.
“You know why there’s settlements in the West Bank? Because if you didn’t have settlements in the West Bank, you would have October 7th from the West Bank, or what we call Judea and Samaria. They’re there to protect the people in Israel,” he said.
He challenged what he described as unquestioned acceptance that territories not under Israeli control must be free of Jewish residents.
“How is it acceptable? Why is it that let’s even say it’s going to be run by someone else? Why can’t Jews live there?” Schapiro asked. “It’s like we’ve bought into a perspective that is absolutely anti-Semitic and anti-Western.”
The term “Judenrein,” meaning Jew-free, appeared in his criticism of this framing, though the specific usage was partially unclear in the transcript.
“Why is it just accepted that if it’s not a Jewish land, that it has to be Judenrein? It’s just like there’s some ideas that we just accept without thinking about it,” he said.
Media Coverage Critique
Schapiro’s most forceful criticisms targeted media organizations for what he characterized as uncritical acceptance of information from terrorist groups rather than democratic governments.
He contrasted how media treats claims from organizations like Hamas versus information from Israel, which he described as having opposition parties and independent courts that would expose wrongdoing.
“The fact that the media laps up the lies from the terrorist organizations, as opposed to taking the perspective of a liberal democracy, as I said, who has an opposition, who has a court that would really, if any of that would have been taking place, would have taken them to task,” Schapiro said.
The president argued this media approach constitutes a form of dehumanization with direct consequences for anti-Semitism.
When pressed on whether media criticism of specific Israeli government policies, such as settlement expansion or judicial reforms, constitutes legitimate reporting, Schapiro defended the policies themselves rather than acknowledging a distinction between policy criticism and anti-Semitism.
Security and Identity Balance
The interview highlighted the tension Jewish communities face between security concerns and maintaining visible identity and religious practice.
Schapiro acknowledged that security measures have increased at Jewish organizations but framed greater visibility as both a spiritual imperative and practical resistance against those seeking to instill fear.
“We cannot let these monsters win. And the way they win is if we cower and we hide,” he said.
His call for increased Jewish visibility runs counter to natural security instincts individuals may feel amid heightened anti-Semitic incidents and attacks.
The president positioned current global attention on Jewish people as an opportunity rather than purely a threat, connecting it to what he described as a mission to serve as “light unto the nations.”
The interview comes amid ongoing debates about media coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict, protest activity in Australian cities, and security concerns facing Jewish communities globally.
Recent incidents including the Manchester attack referenced in the interview have heightened anxiety among Jewish populations internationally, while disagreements persist about how media should cover the conflict and whether criticism of Israeli government policy constitutes or enables anti-Semitism.
Schapiro’s direct accusation that media bears primary responsibility for anti-Semitism represents a significant escalation of rhetoric from a major religious leadership position, placing institutional blame beyond individual perpetrators of anti-Semitic acts.
His defense of West Bank settlements as security necessities and challenge to what he termed acceptance of “Judenrein” territories reflects positions aligned with Israeli government policy but contested internationally and within Israel itself.
The call for increased Jewish visibility despite security concerns presents a counterintuitive response to threats, prioritizing what Schapiro framed as spiritual mission over personal safety calculations.
Whether Jewish communities will follow this guidance amid documented security concerns and ongoing incidents targeting Jewish institutions and individuals remains to be seen.
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