AJC's Asia Pacific Institute on How Australia's Government Ignored the Warning Signs Before Bondi

Описание: Once considered a haven for Jews, Australia is reeling after a deadly Hanukkah terror attack at Bondi Beach left 15 dead—the tragic outcome of skyrocketing hate. AJC Asia Pacific Institute Associate Director Hana Rudolph joins the podcast to unpack the crisis, revealing that despite over 2,000 antisemitic incidents in the year following October 7, the government dropped the ball.


Hana details how political inaction and a fear that "supporting Jews is not politically popular" have allowed extremism to fester. She criticizes the delay in implementing the recommendations set forth by Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, noting the government's failure to move beyond basic security measures. Listen as she explains why global pressure is now urgent to ensure Australia takes this massive gap seriously before more lives are lost.


Read the Full Transcript (https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/ajcs...) : https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/ajcs...


Resources:


-What To Know About the Antisemitic Terror Attack in Sydney (https://www.ajc.org/sydney)


-Take action: Urgent: Confirm U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (http://ajc.org/ConfirmKaploun)


Listen – AJC Podcasts:


-Architects of Peace (http://ajc.org/ArchitectsofPeace)


-The Forgotten Exodus (https://www.ajc.org/forgotten-exodus)


-People of the Pod (https://www.ajc.org/peopleofthepod)


Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod (https://www.ajc.org/peopleofthepod)


You can reach us at: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])


If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.


Transcript of the Interview:


Manya Brachear Pashman:


For more than 30 years, American Jewish Committee's Asia Pacific Institute has found Australia to be a nation that has stood shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish people and Israel. But that sense of steadfast support has started to fray as antisemitism has risen exponentially. The massacre at Bondi Beach on the first night of Hanukkah was only the latest and deadliest in a string of antisemitic incidents over the past two years. Here to discuss how we got here is Hana Rudolph, associate director of AJC's Asia Pacific Institute. Hana, welcome to People of the Pod.


Hana Rudolph:


Thank you so much for having me.


Manya Brachear Pashman:


Well, I want to ask you first, can you kind of introduce our listeners to the Australian Jewish community? How many people are we talking about? What is their history in Australia?


Hana Rudolph:


The Australian Jewish community is one of the most historic, long standing communities in the Asia Pacific. It dates back to 1788. So we're talking 18th century over 100,000 Jews. They're a diverse community. They reside primarily in the cities of Melbourne and Sydney, but they range in terms of practice, in terms of political views, similar to as we see in Europe or the US. There's some level of debate in terms of what, what percentage of the population it comprises, but somewhere between .5- 1% of the population.


Manya Brachear Pashman:


And has Australia been a friendly country for the Jewish community for all of that time, and at least until recently?


Hana Rudolph:


Yeah, absolutely. It has been a deep, close friend of Israel. Israeli diplomats have described Australia as an even closer partner to Israel at the UN and in other global forums than even the US. Jews have been living there for centuries, and have oftentimes described Australia as being like a haven. No matter the antisemitism that increases in Europe or in the US, Australia has been safe. It is the one place besides Israel, where they feel they can live in security. So the surge in antisemitism we've seen, especially since October 7, has just been so much more alarming and frightening and shocking for the community, because they just haven't seen incidents at this level anytime prior.


Manya Brachear Pashman:


What is it about Australia's community? I mean, I know that there's been a lot of emphasis on a kind of, give everyone a fair go, right? There's a lot of emphasis on equality. Is that what guides this kind of welcoming atmosphere? Or why are they such good friends with Israel? Is there something about the culture?


Hana Rudolph:


Yeah, Australia takes a lot of pride in its multiculturalism, the harmony and diversity, social cohesion, so they've placed a lot of emphasis on that in terms of, like, the national culture, and I think that's part of what's led to such a safe, thriving space for the Jewish community for so long until now.


Manya Brachear Pashman:


So what changed?


Hana Rudolph:


Million dollar question, right?...