You would have to have been living on another planet (or Greymouth) to not have picked up the vibe across Australia and New Zealand that things have been a bit tetchy of late between our respective Jewish and Muslim communities.

Firstly, the kidnapping of a Palestinian doctor in Gaza and the subsquent kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Hamas (draws breath) and then the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah (draws another breath) and then the absolute bombing to buggery of Lebanese civillians and infrastracture (with a handful of Hizbollah guerillas brought down as well) by the Israeli military.

Now, on the singular issue of the war itself, the basic FDB position is in line with that of most lefties. That whilst Israel most certainly maintains the right to defend itself against aggression, those rights don’t extend to disproportionate collective punishments of an entire civillian population (and that goes for both Lebanon and Palestine). We could spend all day examining the deeper implications of the wider conflict and where the sympathies of our members lie. Particularly those of our active Jewish members, some Zionist and some expressly anti-Zionist.

But considering the events of last night in Bondi, we don’t have all day.

Throughout the last few weeks we’ve been keeping a close eye on the alarming incidents of vandalism in places like Bondi, Christchurch, Parramatta and Lower Hutt, attacks against both Mosques, Synagogues and Jewish Youth Centres. We originally planned an editorial style piece on all this but somehow it seems better to just quote our members directly.

@ndy says:

Jewish communities in Australia are not the architects of Israeli foreign policy. Local synagogues are where local (religious) Jews go to worship, as is their right. They are not legitimate targets for vandalism, and taking part in or condoning such attacks (deliberately) blurs the line between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. As Mat said: All Jews should not be held responsible for the actions of some Jews. By the same token, all Muslims should not be held responsible for the actions of some Muslims, and attacks on mosques fall into the same category as attacks on synagogues. These acts of vandalism are examples of racism/religious bigotry, not (what I/we/FDB consider) legitimate acts of political dissent. How Australian and New Zealand citizens express this dissent is not our business, except when it takes the forms outlined above, in which case we condemn both the actions and those responsible for committing them.

So…

I think the main point is not that the Middle East is on the other side of the planet, but that, wherever they are located — Australia or Albania, New Zealand or New York — the vandalism of synagogues and mosques is neither a legitimate nor a useful means of addressing conflicts in the Middle East and, if anything, merely reinforces racism, religious intolerance and other forms of irrational prejudice.

Bana says:

Anybody who is attacked has the right to self defense. It doesn’t matter who the aggressor is. Whether an organisation, sovereign state, or individual.

However, no one has the right to attack a place of worship, or any other person or property that is not involved in the aggression (in this case a war).

Yes, some members of the particular Synagogue may have the same view as the government of Israel with regard the current situation in Lebanon, but just as many would be against it.

If Italy attacked a country, does that give you the right to desecrate the Vatican museum? If Turkey ramps up its campaign against the communist Kurdish separatists, does that give anyone the right to vandalise the Auburn Mosque?

If the US attacks another country, do we see someone having a go at the various Independent (i.e. US) Baptist churches in Sydney?

No. The only thing common with regard to the congregation of a particular Mosque, Church, Temple, or Synagogue is their religious beliefs.

Yes, unfortunately, you can find racists in every type of community, and including religious congregations of any ilk. But just because you may find a few, does not make a religion racist.

The Jewish congregation of the Parramatta Synagogue is not the State of Israel and did not declare war on Lebanon.

Therefore, nobody had the right to trash the Synagogue and terrorise the congregation. They are civilians with no involvement in the war.

Last night in Bondi, things got a hell of a lot worse than property damage. Though details are still sketchy at best, appears that an Israeli national was stabbed to death by a group of men on Glenayr street in Bondi. Eyewitness reports indicate that this was a very brutal gang attack involving iron bars and well, knives.

We don’t know much more than this at present. His nationality and the motivation of the attackers is yet to be confirmed by the police. Was the victim picked off at random? Was he visibly Jewish? Were there other factors involved aside from politics?

We’ll probably find out soon enough.