NEW YORK – In response to the recent antisemitic incidents in Melbourne, Australia, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder issued the following statement:
“Last week’s arson attack against the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and the invasion of an Israeli-owned restaurant in Melbourne are malicious and cowardly acts perpetrated against the Jewish community and all who value civil society. Since October 7th, no corner of the democratic world remains safe from the creeping normalization of antisemitism, often violent in its manifestations.
“We fully agree with Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, a WJC affiliate, who said, ‘This is not just an attack upon Jews or the Jewish community. It is an attack upon our way of life.’
“While Australian leaders have denounced the recent antisemitism, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke rightly categorizing the synagogue firebombing as an ‘attack on Australian values,” concrete government action is required to fully safeguard Australia’s Jews.
“The World Jewish Congress urgently calls on the Australian government, and all Australians, to stand together with the Jewish community against acts of hatred and violence, to restore fairness and decency to public discourse, and to consign antisemitism to the past.”
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