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Never Again Is Now — a heartening movement against the ugly anti-Semitism that has reared its head recently in Sydney.

Rallies, marches and demonstrations have got bad press, haven’t they? They seem to attract violence and angry behaviour, and we don’t like that. But where is the tipping point? When does the cause overcome the fear?

Sunday afternoon, 18^th February, The Domain, Sydney. A crowd of at least 10,000 gathered to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jews and with Israel in their time of need after the horrific 7^th October 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks from Gaza.

I went along with some friends from church. My reflections:

There were plenty of police present all around the entrances to The Domain. They were chatting with the visitors, happy and jovial. As we left, we commented and thanked some of them, “You’ve had a boring afternoon! I guess that’s how you like it!” They grinned from ear to ear!

There were so many Israelis there. I could tell, as I could see who was singing the Hebrew songs — they did not need to read the words! They were so happy to be surrounded and supported by their fellow Australians. The mood, while deadly serious, was light and positive.

I guess some may have been worried that there could have been some ugliness. I saw or heard nothing negative; Australians were on display at their best. I flew the Australian flag I was gifted at my citizenship ceremony back in 2014; it had never been out of the house before!

Making a Stand

There was a wonderful line-up of speakers, including former PM Scott Morrison; Warren Mundine, National President of the Labor Party between 2006 and 2007; Michelle Pearce, CEO of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL); and John Anderson, former Deputy PM. Their message was loud and clear: antisemitism of any kind is un-Australian and has no place in our society. We must stand up for our neighbour and never entertain discrimination or hatred of another of God’s children.

Finally, what most moved me that afternoon was meeting an Israeli woman holding a placard in support of one of the Hamas hostages. He is 21 years old and happened to be the one I have been praying for through Praying for Israel by Name. Seeing his photo and brief biography on a placard, held high by an Israeli from Israel, did it for me!

I was overcome with grief for the innocents of this horrific atrocity and the ensuing war. I simply hugged this stranger and wept as I prayed for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem. The opportunity to express my support and grief for the people of Israel, represented by this one Israeli before me, was wonderful. A brief but such a poignant moment!

There were at least 10,000 there, I am sure; the crowd nearly as full as the carols concerts. Most were standing, so I guess they may have been more squashed than at Christmas! But we have only just begun: Never Again is Now is taking off around the country, to all the capital cities and regional centres!

There are so many Christians here in Sydney who were not there in The Domain. I believe it behoves those of us who were there to mobilise those who were not. Evil will flourish if good men and women stay silent. We are in warfare in the spirit realm; let’s pray God will turn back the hate.