On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a terrorist attack against Israeli civilians. on land, sea, and air. More than 1,000 people were killed. This was the largest single-day loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. More than 200 hostages were taken. Young people attending a music festival near Reims, the town of Sderot and small houses with names unfamiliar to most Australians, such as Kfar Azha, Beeri, Nir Oz, Nahal Oz, Reims, Horit and Zikim. residents of the community. Kerem Shalom, Sufa was attacked mercilessly.
The U.S. Department of Justice subsequently filed terrorism charges against Hamas leadership. Describing armed Hamas operatives attacking and shooting civilians, including children, at point-blank range, sometimes with machine guns, and atrocities such as armed sexual violence against Israeli women, including rape and genital mutilation. The words used to do so are not and cannot be expressed. , explains the horror perfectly.
Still, hope.
Caulfield Park a few days later. The heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community. my community. Six thousand people are worried. I’m worried about Israel. I’m worried about Australia. People experiencing shock and sadness. I reread the nauseating words I had said that day.
An Israeli man was murdered in his home and shot when he answered the front door. The children of Israel were slaughtered in their beds. Entire families were brutally slaughtered in their cars, kitchens and living rooms. men, women and children. Jewish man. Jewish women. Jewish children.
And I cry.
Still, hope.
Israel’s defense begins. With guns and bombs. of course. How else do nations protect themselves? The strength of the Israel Defense Forces was not able to protect Israel on October 7th. Nowadays, words alone cannot protect it. Those who say Israel should not defend itself do not support Israel’s right to exist. “From the River to the Sea” – but there are few poems.
Still, hope.
Our television screens and social media feeds are filled with fear. A poor family in Gaza. Dying children. rocket. rubble. Thousands of non-combatants (innocent men, women, and children) were killed and injured, and many more were displaced. The idea that Jews can cry for Palestinians and vice versa is forgotten in the fog of war and the quagmire of hatred.
Still, hope.
Lockdown of election offices. graffiti. Blood red paint. Sabotage of communication pit. Even fire. Election officials were threatened and injured. Australians in need of social security and immigration support have left the country seeking help to protest.
Still, hope.
A young professional man is doing what any young man would do, talking it over with politicians at an event. But in the end: “I’m part of the tribe, Mark. Do we have a future in Australia?”
Still, hope.
Nazi swastikas were plastered on small businesses. In Melbourne. 2024.
Still, hope.
6 million dead. In living memory. I am the son and grandson of Holocaust survivors. Australia gave them a homeland that it did not give many others. Still, people ask me why I support genocide. Don’t they know the pain that question causes? Maybe so.
Still, hope.
More than 100 hostages are still missing.
Still, hope.
(xxxx) Zionists! Zionist (xxxx)! and so on. Insert your own profanity. The menu is endless. The ideal number of characters for Musk/Zuckerberg social media comments. We have created stickers that are easy to use on trains, telephone booths, etc. The slogan also applies to apparel.
Still, hope.
Some believe that replacing Jews with Zionists is a clever way of masking anti-Semitism with criticism of anti-colonialism. Hint – We know exactly what you’re going to say.
Still, hope.
You should be used to this, Mark. Actually, no. Not Australia. Australia is a safe place for me and my family. And my community. Something has changed in the past year.
Still, hope.
Security guard outside the elementary school. The children walking through the gate are wearing shorts. Jewish children. Yes, the security guard was there before October 7th. But now there are many more. And their parents are even more worried.
Still, hope.
Bipartisan position on the Israeli rift. Opposition leaders said it would be “reckless” to maintain support for a two-state solution. The Green Party is intensifying divisions within and outside parliament. Partisan politics trumps everything in pursuit of cheap social media posts, new headlines, new donors, and new voters.
Still, hope.
Universities become battlefields. Encampments create tension. Special envoy to combat anti-Semitism Gillian Segal told a parliamentary committee that Jewish students on Australian campuses felt traumatized, isolated and unsafe. Jewish students across Australia say they don’t feel welcome on campus and think universities don’t care.
Still, hope.
A senior local government official I have known and respected for decades has been subjected to anti-Semitic abuse. His city council is responding to the abuse by telling him to work from home.
Still, hope.
The abuse and ridicule directed at those who raised concerns about the Islamophobia experienced by Muslim Australians, including Palestinian Australians, following the Hamas attacks. As if there is a hierarchy of hatred.
Still, hope.
People fleeing Gaza are subject to fear. They left their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs, their children, and hope for a better future, only to be labeled a threat. Question time material.
My friend Josh Burns says: “Palestinians in Gaza, like my family and friends in Israel, did not choose this war. We must maintain our humanity and respect the human rights of everyone. ” He is cracking down on ongoing abuse.
Leviticus 19:34 says, “The stranger who dwells with you shall be treated as a native to you, and you shall love him as yourself.” It is written. For many, the kindness that represents their true selves has been overwhelmed by fear.
Still, hope.
Why are you so silent, Mark? I get asked this a lot. I thought about it a lot too. Since I am not the foreign minister, I have said little publicly about the Hamas-Israel war. I am Australia’s first law officer. He is a minister, not a commentator. Just because you’re not talking doesn’t mean you can’t understand.
Over the past year, I have seen events on the other side of the world impact our home in unexpected ways. The rise in anti-Semitism in Australia after the Hamas attacks was truly shocking. Equally shocking is the reluctance of some on the left to condemn the actions of Hamas, which killed as many Jews as possible and has sought to harm them every day since. .
It is also inexplicable that many people, including rebels, have failed to show empathy and compassion for those evacuated from Gaza. Weaponizing bigotry and hatred for political gain is always ugly, and the past 12 months have been extremely ugly.
As Minister, I approved security funding for synagogues, mosques, and Jewish and Islamic schools. I passed laws banning Nazi symbols and other symbols of hate. I introduced a bill to strengthen hate speech laws. My portfolio, the Australian Human Rights Commission, conducts research into the prevalence and impact of racism in universities, with a particular focus on the incidence of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Indigenous experiences. I was part of the government that established Australia’s first special envoy to fight anti-Semitism and the first special envoy to fight Islamophobia.
I have always believed that actions are more important than words. But words matter, and the words on this page reflect some of the pain, suffering, and sadness I’ve heard over the past year, as well as some of the pain I’ve experienced myself.
Still, I have hope.
We hope that the hostages who are still alive will be reunited with their loved ones.
We want a lasting ceasefire that will end the killings.
We look forward to the reconstruction of Gaza.
I hope that Israel maintains its democratic foundations.
We want a two-state solution, where the state of Israel and the state of Palestine coexist, and where Israelis and Palestinians live safely and prosperously within internationally recognized borders.
Strangers are treated like natives, faith-based schools don’t need bomb walls or armed guards, and the oldest hatred, anti-Semitism, is part of the past and not a shared one. There is also no hope for Australia. future.
I want a future where each of us, regardless of faith, race, or politics, is guided by hope rather than hatred.
