It’s the one form of discrimination that too many are willing to tolerate

If gay or transgender Australians were being driven out of this country because of the fear of persecution, abuse and violence, there would be community outrage. Rightly so.

If Australians with Asian faces were frightened because they were being threatened in the streets by people angry about Xi Jinping’s brutal disregard for human rights, we would expect justified community fury.

So why are Jews different? Why are they seen by so many as legitimate targets? Why does basic decency not apply to them? And why such apparent indifference from so many leaders?

Increasingly, Jews, many Australian-born, have come to believe this is no longer their country. They feel unwanted, unsafe, abandoned.

Some have left, more are considering it. They feel so unwelcome they would rather move to a city where their priority is the closest air raid shelter rather than the best coffee shop.

There’s evidence. Aliyah is a Hebrew term referring to Jewish people immigrating to Israel. The number of Australians beginning that process has increased 89.7 per cent in a year to 590.

Certainly the aliyah rate has trended upwards, 2024 was also the highest rate in five years. The number of migrants coming the other way – to Australia from Israel – has fluctuated but been reasonably stable for 20 years.

Regardless, Jews who have lived long term in Australia argue the accepting nature of the country is disintegrating. Open discussions about leaving are now common across the community.

And they’re embracing a traditional warning: antisemitism is a light sleeper. Well, on much evidence, it’s awake. And too many non-Jewish Australians haven’t noticed or don’t care.

Victoria must lead on this. About half Australia’s Jews live in Victoria – 60,000. We must confront this madness and support unequivocally our fellow citizens who happen to be Jewish.

It has taken too long but finally a few days ago one leader stood up. Victoria’s new premier Ben Carroll said what has been obvious since the 1200 Hamas murders on October 7 sprayed poison in Australia: “As a state and as a country we did not do enough … I am sorry.

“No one should ever have to choose between being Jewish and feeling Australian. That is not the country we accept,” he said.

He nailed it.

This has nothing to do with the complexities and hatreds of the Middle East. It’s not to ignore the horrendous suffering on both sides. It’s not about the common misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the conflict and its origins.

It’s about fairness and people being blamed and attacked for events over which they have no control and may not even approve.

The simmering hatred and persecution Carroll acknowledged has festered since the war in Gaza began almost three years ago.

Enough. If this country is genuinely the home of the “fair go” a public groundswell of support is needed for these fellow Australians who desperately need that support publicly and privately.

It can be personal – call a Jewish friend, intervene when there is abuse, in AFL jargon “wrap your arms around them”.

Politicians react to pressure. Carroll has privately recognised this crisis from the beginning but he’s been slow to be so direct publicly. Now he has “owned” the failures.

Where are the others? Call them, email the PM’s office when you see antisemitism downplayed. Demand they stand up.

Despite Carroll’s words the broad vacuum of moral leadership continues. More leaders should be seen at Jewish functions making their support unequivocal and public.

Recently, Glen Eira council, which covers a strongly Jewish area, introduced an antisemitism strategy. Councillors will be trained about identifying reporting and dealing with antisemitism. It’s the only Victorian council to do so.

Bondi, fire bombings, kids abused, businesses targeted, threats: how many more alarm bells need to ring before decent people realise Australia is morally burning and they need to help fight the fire?

Before Ben Carroll spoke out, the head of ASIO, Mike Burgess, identified it. He said reports of Australian Jews being abused and threatened “breaks my heart”. He criticised politicians and the media for not calling it out loudly and quickly.

For me, this is personal. Some of the parents of kids I roamed with as a child had tattooed arms and a haunted look I couldn’t understand. I still have many Jewish friends.

As a teenager, my best friend was Jewish. When I finally encountered antisemitism it baffled me. Still does.

Now, my Jewish mates need help. They need friendship, support and understanding. Those who target them must be exposed and prosecuted.

A few weeks ago the close relatives of a friend were harassed at Melbourne airport. There was some media coverage but muted outrage.

This involved two families, Australian-born Jews, brother and sister. One had an 11-year-old daughter and 14-year-old boy. The other had a four-year-old daughter and was carrying a one-year-old son. The men were wearing skullcaps.

In the international departure area they were approached by a woman shouting “You’re a Zionist. Stop killing babies. You’re a baby killer and a Zionist pig.” It continued. They were called “Nazis” and “genocidal”.

The children and women were distraught. The men were angry, trying to de-escalate.

This from one of the men: “It saddens me deeply to realise this is no longer the same Melbourne I grew up in where visible identity [wearing a Kippah] now attracts open hostility, leaving people feeling vulnerable and unsafe in their own country.”

And from one of the women: “It has left me questioning whether it is safe for Jewish Australians to be visibly Jewish. It goes against Australian values.”

The AFP this week decided to take no action on their complaint. The victims may approach Victoria Police to report what seems a clear breach of the state’s anti-vilification laws.

Surely a society that worries about the use of appropriate pronouns must act.

A close Jewish friend, first generation Australian on one side, second on the other, told me: “I am certain the majority of Australians are not antisemitic but are entirely unaware of its existence and how it is affecting a significant number of people in their community.

“Most of us are depressed, anxious and indecisive and waiting, possibly too long, to decide whether there is actually life for Jews in Australia going forward.”

The current royal commission won’t solve this, nor will the overdue words of Ben Carroll. The answer rests with each of us.

I’ve been assuring my mates since the early days of the war in Gaza that antisemitism in this country will be crushed, not by politicians but by the people. I have assured them decency and fairness is the Australian way.

It’s time to prove it.

Neil Mitchell hosts the podcast Mitchell Unlimited.

The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.