Attacks on city’s Jews escalating

ANTI-SEMITIC attacks on Melbourne's Jews have escalated since the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East.

Jewish organisations, schools and synagogues have been the target of abusive phone calls and letters and Jewish people have been abused on the street since hostilities escalated in Gaza over the past fortnight.

The president of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, John Searle, said he was concerned the attacks could worsen.

Temple Beth in St Kilda had been daubed with anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist slogans within a few days of the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East, he said.

"At a post-funeral service five or six nights ago, again in St Kilda, as the crowd was coming out, a passerby stopped and hurled the most vile anti-Semitic abuse that he related to what was going on at the moment in Gaza.

"Basically, this passerby's view was that 'all f------ Jews should be killed'. That's the sort of hostility people here in Melbourne have to deal with."

Mr Searle said that following the 2006 Lebanon war, the number of anti-Semitic attacks around the world had increased. "But the most significant increase was in Melbourne."

He said the Jewish community in Melbourne was visible and the location of synagogues well known, as were the major streets people walked on their way to services.

"The attacks will range from abuse … to the throwing of eggs, of bottles, of bricks. It then moves up to the level of people being physically attacked."

The executive director of the JCCV, Geoffrey Zygier, said abusive phone messages were left on the organisation's phone over the New Year break and several threatening letters were sent.

Last year, 132 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in Victoria, up on the 2006 and 2007 figures. The incidents ranged from verbal abuse to eggs being thrown and swastikas being painted on property.

Danny Lamm, president of the State Zionist Council of Victoria, said most of the abusers were anti-Semitic rather than specifically concerned with the current situation in the Middle East.

"If you look at some of the things that were said at rallies in Melbourne and other places across the country, 'bring back the ovens' and so forth, there's an anti-Semitic element that is coming out very nakedly," Dr Lamm said.

Mr Searle said the current situation in Israel and Gaza "brought no joy to the Melbourne Jewish community, because people are getting killed".