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Josh Frydenberg, the former Treasurer of Australia, is a proud Australian and proud Jew. Feeling deeply the effects of antisemitism in his own life, he has produced an outstanding video calling out Antisemitism for what it is – one of the most deep-seated hatreds in the world today.

It is not just a problem for the Jewish community. It eats away at the very core of who we are as a free people.

He claims:

We are at a critical point in our history with our values and our way of life under attack. This is Australia’s fight, and to win, we need moral clarity, courage and conviction. We must defend what we have and who we are. With future generations relying on us, just as we have relied on the generations before us, to secure the freedoms we now enjoy.

Interviewing senior politicians, Holocaust survivors, Jews in business and public life, as well as students scared to attend their universities, Josh, in humility and courage, explores the reaction to antisemitism across Australian society.

Jewish Businesses and Individuals Targeted

Josh uncovers deep pain, sadness and even anger, at the unjustified discrimination against Jewish businesses. One family in Melbourne describes, in tears, how their children are harassed going to school, they have to close their business because of constant vandalism, and they fear for their lives if they disclose they are Jewish.

Our current Prime Minister states emphatically:

The targeting of a business because it happens to be owned by someone who happens to be Jewish, is in my view anathema to what Australia represents. It is not who we are. That is why we need to call out antisemitism when we see it.

No one should be attacked for who they are in this country and what is occurring is something that is unacceptable.

John Howard felt there was a missed opportunity for our leaders to prevent the rise of antisemitism.

From the get-go, the Prime Minister of this country didn’t say: “Whatever our differences are on other issues, one thing we must unite on is to completely repudiate any return to antisemitism.” And I believe if from the beginning the horrible events of 7^th October had been denounced in unequivocal terms, no ifs, buts, maybes, no equivalence, none of that, from the very beginning, you would not have had quite these outbreaks of these days. Part of the role of being the leader of a country is to set a tone.

Creative Jewish Artists Doxxed

After suffering increasing antisemitism, more than 600 Jewish artists and musicians formed a support group to encourage and uplift each other. Many of them were ‘doxxed’ and cancelled. To be doxxed means the malicious spreading of your personal information with intent to cause harm, emotionally, financially and socially. They are finding it hard to find work — just because they are Jews.

Deborah Conway, a well-known Jewish singer-songwriter, makes no secret of her Jewish heritage.  She describes it as her whole identity. It’s her childhood, her family, her future family, her children. It’s how she relates to the world.

It’s been very obvious that Israel has been demonised for a long time. Every time some sort of conflagration happens in the Middle East, there is a pile-on. But the October 7th events, the antisemitism, the hatred for Jews around the world are out of the ballpark. We’re just seeing things we have never seen before.

Former Prime Ministers and Politicians Weigh In

Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard describes her shock at the events of October 7^th and the demonstrations of support for the slaughter of innocent Israelis. She says:

Surely in the modern world, in modern Australia, we are better than that.

John Howard never thought he would hear the words: ‘Gas the Jews.’ Words of pure hatred. He claims:

Israel has every right to drive towards the extermination of Hamas. Every right. If Hamas is not defeated, then it will regroup and come again.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is unequivocal. He believes there are people in our country who call Australia home, but they don’t have Australia in their hearts.

On the other hand, Greens MP Jenny Leong declared:

The Jewish lobby are infiltrating into every single aspect of ethic community groups. Their tentacles reach into the areas that try and influence power and we need to call that out and expose it.

Josh called this “a despicable antisemitic slur” reminiscent of Nazi Germany. In addition, Senator Mehreen Faruqi wore the Palestinian scarf while shouting: “Free, Free Palestine” in the Parliament. Later, in a press interview, she stated: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.” This chant calls for the extermination of Israel.

Free Speech and Existing Laws

When asked how to balance the right of free speech with incitement to hatred, John Howard wisely proposed that being attacked because you are a Jew, a Catholic, a Muslim, or anything else is not free speech. It is hatred and discrimination, and we have laws to deal with that, but they don’t seem to be being enforced.

Peter Dutton agreed:

I do believe there is a breach of the existing laws, both at a state and federal level in some of those instances. We can beef laws up tomorrow and I’m not opposed to the prospect, but I think we should utilise the existing laws now and if we do that, we send a very clear message to others.

The footage of university campuses and street protesters screaming obscenities, intimidating police, and abusing bystanders is interspersed with the interviews. Damage to politicians’ offices, red paint and antisemitic signs on public buildings, not as one-off but as daily occurrences, manifest a deep-seated and well-organised vandalism that does not appear to be addressed in any meaningful way.

An Arab Israeli Describes Life for Him in Israel

Khaled Abu Toameh is an Arab journalist who lives in Israel. He is part of a two million-strong community, 90% of whom are Muslims. He describes what he calls the wonderful things Israel stands for – a strong economy, democracy, freedom of speech, and so much more.

These values are our values as Australians. Khaled suggests that if the protesters really cared about the Palestinians, they would go to Gaza and defend the rights of women and gay people. But when he suggests this, they don’t have an answer.

See the Video – Share It – Talk About It

This video is challenging and confronting, but vitally important to educate, inform and suggest pathways to a better understanding of the enemy we are facing. Maybe some have lingering concerns about the mysterious Jews and their influence in the world.

Remember, as Christians, we owe so much to the Jews. They gave us the Bible, faithfully preserved over thousands of years, all written by Jews. They gave us our Messiah. He is coming back – not to Sydney, London or New York – but to Jerusalem, His Holy City.

This courageous video project to counter the insidious disease of anti-semitism is a gift of immense value. Thank you, Josh Frydenberg, for your courage and tenacity to bless us with it.

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Image courtesy of Adobe.