CCJVIC letter in the Age of 7 October, 2019:
No place in our society
It is extremely alarming and unacceptable that after two antisemitic occurrences in Melbourne earlier this year involving a road-rage incident with a rabbi and a group of young Jewish school students, we are dismayed that another antisemitic incident has again occurred in Melbourne involving two Jewish schoolboys who on this occasion were subjected to degrading bullying.
The Council of Christians and Jews of Victoria strongly condemns such behaviour which has no place in civil society.
We would suggest that those responsible for these antisemitic incidents should visit the Jewish Holocaust Centre to learn about the tragic history of Jewish persecution and the appalling consequences it has led to in the past. Anti-Semitism is evidently still a serious problem and also symptomatic for other evils in our society. The Council feels strongly that a firm stand should be taken against racism, wherever and whenever it occurs.
With the support of the Victorian Government, the Council is also running a Tackling Hate Speech program, designed to assist religious communities in countering hate by increasing the awareness of the problem and training people to safely respond when faced with racism or religious vilification. Together with the Online Hate Prevention Institute, a community representative training session will take place on 10 November at St Dominic’s Primary School in Camberwell.
Thilo Troschke Chairman Council of Christians and Jews Vic Inc.