Jewish Leader Says Two Years of Anti-Semitism Will Take ‘Generation to Heal,’ Slams Government Response
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Australia, Israel and Jewish Affairs Council director accuses Albanese government of ‘aggressively distancing itself’ from Israel and Jewish community as MP representing largest Jewish electorate says constituents question if they’re ‘still welcome’
The scars from two years of surging anti-Semitism in Australia will take a generation to heal, according to a senior Jewish community leader who accused the Albanese government today of “aggressively distancing itself from Israel” and authorities of refusing to confront street intimidation.
Ben Carlill, Australia, Israel and Jewish Affairs Council Director of Special Projects and a former public servant, delivered the sharp assessment on Sky News AM Agenda as the nation marks the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel.
“I think the scars of the last two years will take a generation to heal,” Carlill said, describing the period since October 7 as “terrible” for Australian Jews.
Independent MP Allegra Spender, who represents Wentworth with Australia’s highest Jewish population, echoed the gravity of the moment in a separate Sky News interview, describing the past two years as marking “the biggest rise in anti-Semitism that the Australian Jewish community has ever seen.”
“I speak constantly to members of the Jewish community who do question whether they are still welcome here. And that has really been kicked off over the last two years,” Spender said. “So this is a really tragic day.”
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Government and Authorities Criticized
Carlill’s most pointed criticism targeted government and law enforcement responses to anti-Israel demonstrations that have occurred “almost every weekend” for two years.
“We’ve had the Australian government aggressively distancing itself from Israel and indeed from the Australian Jewish community over this entire time,” Carlill said.
He said authorities “absolutely refuse to push back against that intimidation from the very beginning” when asked about weekly protests he characterized as “anti-Israel hate mobs on our city streets shouting their hateful slogans and intimidating Australians and Jewish Australians.”
Spender emphasized the domestic impact extends beyond the Middle East conflict.
“The impact in Australia has also been profound,” she said. “This is about this country and how we hold together.”
The comments come as New South Wales Police filed a Supreme Court objection yesterday blocking the Palestinian Action Group’s planned October 12 protest at Sydney Opera House, citing crowd crush concerns with 10,000 expected attendees
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State vs Federal Response
When asked about differences between Premier Chris Minns calling protests “hugely insensitive” and “tone deaf” versus Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s condemnation, Spender noted the state leader has greater authority over protest management.
“There is a lot of recognition from the community that Chris Minns has spoken, I think, very clearly. But to be honest, Chris Minns has many more levers at his disposal in relation to the protests because they are state issues,” Spender said.
She agreed with Minns’ characterization, saying: “It’s tone deaf and completely culturally insensitive to be trying to do protests on today. There have been protests throughout the last two years. I think today and also Sunday are days where those things shouldn’t happen.”
Protest Timing Condemned
Both Carlill and Spender criticized the Palestinian Action Group seeking permission to demonstrate at Sydney Opera House this weekend, calling the timing “perverse” and questioning protester motivations.
“These groups aren’t pro-Palestinian. They’re anti-Israel. And that’s why they’re protesting now,” Carlill said.
Spender highlighted the irony of protests occurring as peace negotiations advance.
“The great irony is that there’s a peace deal that Israel has agreed to. We haven’t been this close to peace or some kind of form of peace in Gaza for the best part of two years. And it just shows that these protesters will protest, I think, no matter what. And that is something that should worry us all,” Spender said.
Hamas Graffiti Condemned
Both speakers condemned graffiti supporting Hamas that appeared in Fitzroy, Melbourne today.
“That is absolutely foul. And I think this is, it is, again, it just has no place in this country. Hamas is a terrorist organisation,” Spender said.
She framed the moment as critical for achieving lasting peace.
“What I believe we all want to see out of this process is actually long-term peace for Israeli people, for Palestinian people, security and peace,” Spender said. “This is the moment we have. It’s as close as we’ve come in the last two years to having a process for peace. This is the moment that we need to all be seizing.”
Hostage Crisis Continues
Carlill emphasized the October 7 trauma remains ongoing because “not all the hostages are home yet,” two years after Hamas took approximately 250 people captive during the attacks.
“Beyond that, we’ve had this surge of anti-Semitism in Australia over the past two years,” he said. “We’ve had people and groups in Australia that the Jewish community thought would have their backs, have actually turned their backs to the Jewish community.”
Social Cohesion Concerns
Spender emphasized maintaining social cohesion as a national priority, particularly after the Manchester terror attack over the weekend.
“Australia’s not the only country really battling with this. We saw what has been absolutely awful, the attack in Manchester over the weekend. And again, that sort of talks to the greatest fears, I think, that members of the Jewish community have,” Spender said.
She characterized Australia as “a multi-faith, multicultural country, a place where everyone is welcome, where all faiths should be able to practise in peace and in security.”
“The horrific anti-Semitism attacks that I’ve seen in my own electorate, those are the sorts of things that just don’t belong in our country, in whatever your views on conflicts overseas,” Spender said.
Pro-Palestinian vs Anti-Israel
When asked to distinguish between pro-Palestinian Australians who want peace versus those supporting Hamas, Carlill said “the line is clear” despite efforts by “the haters” to blur it.
“I want a Palestinian state. I want peace in the Middle East. I want the war to end and the bombings to end. Most Australians want there to be peace between Israelis and the Palestinians. The Australian Jewish community is in lockstep with them,” Carlill said.
Protest Groups Accused of Selective Outrage
Carlill accused Palestinian solidarity groups of remaining silent on human rights abuses in other contexts while focusing exclusively on Israel.
“These groups were silent for the 17 years that Hamas ruled Gaza and the terrible human and civil rights conditions that Gazans faced under Hamas rule,” he said.
He cited the Syrian Civil War, where “Palestinians in Syria were being besieged, and I’m not talking about the false allegations of siege made against Israel, I’m talking about real medieval-style siege, these groups were silent.”
Carlill detailed restrictions Palestinians face in Lebanon, where they “can’t attain citizenship. They can’t own property. They have to live in specially designated areas. There’s a whole list. I think it’s 38 professions that Palestinians aren’t allowed to practice in Lebanon.”
“These groups don’t say a word about that. They only speak up when Israel’s involved or when they can make false allegations against Israel,” Carlill said.
Trump Peace Plan Endorsed
Both speakers expressed support for President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace framework currently under consideration by Hamas.
Carlill praised its conditional structure: “What I think is good about this, the Trump peace plan, is that it really, it’s not time dependent, it’s achievement dependent.”
He explained the plan links Palestinian progress “from the war to the ceasefire, to the stabilization and the rebuilding of Gaza and eventually Palestinian state in the future” to Palestinian Authority achievements of “objectives required to establish a peaceful and viable and economically sustainable Palestinian state.”
Spender expressed hope the framework represents a turning point.
“Hopefully in one year’s time we can look back at this time and say this was the start of a movement towards peace which is what I think everybody is seeking,” Spender said.
Carlill highlighted provisions allowing Israel to hand over Hamas-cleared Gaza territory to international authorities even if fighting continues elsewhere.
“What this shows is that finally the international community, as well as two of Hamas’s three main sponsors, Qatar and Turkey, are saying, look, Hamas’s role in Gaza as a ruler of Gaza is finished. We need to move on,” he said.
Community Support for Peace
Carlill characterized opposition to the ceasefire framework as limited to extremists.
“I think the Australian community, certainly the Australian Jewish community, is absolutely behind this because we all want peace,” he said. “It’s only a handful of holdouts out there who desperately hate Israel that don’t want the ceasefire plan to go ahead.”
The interviews reflect perspectives from Jewish community representatives as the October 7 anniversary reignites debates about protest rights, government positioning on the Israel-Gaza conflict, and how Australian authorities balance security concerns with freedom of assembly.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepared to deliver a parliamentary statement today marking the October 7 anniversary, with the Opposition Leader invited to participate.
Albanese said yesterday that October 7 “is the two year anniversary of the greatest number of murders of Jewish people since the Holocaust” and warned demonstrations on the anniversary “will not advance” the Palestinian cause but “will set it back in terms of support here in Australia.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley called protests near the anniversary “completely counterproductive” and rooted in “division and hatred,” while demanding Communications Minister Annika Wells apologize for Triple-0 emergency system failures.
Range of Community Views
Spender acknowledged diversity of opinion within the Jewish community when asked who receives criticism for the current situation.
“Every community has a range of views and there certainly is criticism of the government and others,” she said. “But I think what people are really concerned about is to say, how do we maintain our social cohesion here?”
She emphasized the responsibility Australians have toward each other regardless of views on overseas conflicts.
“While we can all feel very strongly about what is happening overseas, we also need to say, well, what are the impacts of our own actions both on things overseas but also here locally,” Spender said.
Carlill’s assessment of generational trauma affecting the Australian Jewish community, combined with Spender’s accounts of constituents questioning their welcome in Australia, adds sobering dimensions to ongoing debates about how the October 7 attacks and subsequent Gaza conflict have reshaped domestic social cohesion and community relations.
The Director of Special Projects role at the Australia, Israel and Jewish Affairs Council positions Carlill as a significant voice within organized Jewish community advocacy, while Spender’s representation of Wentworth gives her direct constituent contact with Australia’s largest Jewish population.
Whether authorities and government officials will address specific allegations about “aggressively distancing” from Israel and the Jewish community, or claims about refusing to confront street intimidation, remains unclear as Parliament prepares to mark the anniversary.
The comments underscore deep frustration within segments of the Australian Jewish community about their treatment and safety over the two years since October 7, with Carlill’s “generation to heal” assessment and Spender’s reports of constituents questioning their belonging suggesting lasting damage to community confidence and social cohesion that will persist long after any Gaza ceasefire is achieved.
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