Sydney is yet another wake-up call for Jerusalem: antisemitism is not only a threat to innocent Jews in the major Australian city, but also an existential threat to the State of Israel.
Sydney is a wonderful city – a rare blend of vibrant, welcoming metropolis and breathtaking nature. A vast ocean at the foot of a cliff; beaches like nowhere else; an easygoing population for whom sports and leisure culture are a central engine of life. I return there often because, in my mind, it is a place where one can temporarily disconnect from the intensity and cacophony of Israel. Not anymore.
The antisemitic venom that has been seeping through the West in recent years has crossed the Equator. A swarm of evil is capturing hearts even in Australia – a nation of immigrants, where many Jews from Europe and South Africa sought refuge from antisemitism. Bondi Beach is one of the world’s most iconic strips of coastline: a sanctuary of laid-back beach life, with a culture open to all expressions of Australia’s distinctive spirit.
Precisely for this reason, the attack on the traditional Hanukkah celebration at Bondi makes one thing painfully clear: 80 years after the Holocaust, we have returned to a reality where there is no place on earth where Jews can feel safe.
Antisemitic incidents have occurred in the past, of course, but we must understand that the Sydney massacre unfolded in a different world than before. Antisemitism, which until recently was seen as a disease humanity was gradually eradicating, is once again reaching pandemic levels – and its most horrifying wreckage may still lie ahead. In the aftermath of the war in Gaza, harsh criticism has been directed at Israel, which is not necessarily an expression of antisemitism. But it is clear that the war has removed cultural restraints that, until now, prevented overt, blatant antisemitism from rising to the surface. Now, it has been unleashed. The one issue far-right populists and far-left socialists agree upon is the de-legitimization of the State of Israel and of the Zionist idea – something that cannot be explained by anything except antisemitism.
What do Tucker Carlson, the right-wing media star and former face of Fox News, and Zohran Mamdani, the Left’s rising star who will soon occupy New York City’s Gracie Mansion, have in common? They are among the most influential voices shaping America’s younger generation. They stand at opposite poles on virtually every issue that animates Americans, and yet there is de facto agreement between them on one point: demonizing Israel with barely concealed antisemitic overtones.
Alongside right – and left-wing populism, antisemitism is also gaining increasing legitimacy among highbrow elites. Much has been said about leading universities having become hotbeds of hatred toward Israel and Jews. Now it turns out that even the head of America’s leading conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation – the Republican Party’s intellectual North Star – countenances Holocaust deniers.
And if this is the case in the United States, how much more so in Europe – where an improbable coalition is gaining sway. A large and influential Muslim public; environmental activists (with Greta as their poster child); leftists who blame the Jews for capitalism; uber nationalists with pro-Nazi leanings. Many French Jews are seriously considering emigrating, and the future of Jews across Europe seems shrouded in uncertainty. One can only guess at the force and implications of the shockwaves from the Sydney massacre for the resilience of Australian Jewry.
Against this backdrop, the State of Israel must unabashedly throw itself into the fight against antisemitism. A government ministry is already doing diligent and serious work, but the resources devoted to the mission – and the attention the Jewish nation-state devotes to this issue – must be substantially upgraded.
Sydney is yet another wake-up call for Jerusalem: antisemitism is not only a threat to innocent Jews in the major Australian city, but also an existential threat to the State of Israel. Therefore, just as we have built a formidable army to defend our borders, we must build a serious system to combat antisemitism worldwide – through diplomatic, intelligence, technological, educational, and other means.
The entire world is changing before our eyes: social instability, declining trust in institutions, the desecration of human-rights discourse, winds of war in Europe. Truth is absent, and conspiracies run rampant. The Sydney massacre is a cruel example of the darkness trying to extinguish the Jewish light. The State of Israel must marshal all its strength to confront the tsunami advancing toward us.