SPEECH AT THE SYDNEY INSTITUTE | 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ
80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ
SYDNEY INSTITUTE
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This week the world commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The Nazi concentration camp, which was both an unimaginable place of forced labour and a place of extermination, is the symbol of the lowest point in history.
Nowhere and at no time has there been a greater degradation by one human being of another. Nowhere has there been greater cruelty. Nowhere has there been such an industrialization of death. And nowhere has such an extreme ideology been made a reality.
The foundation of human atrocities is bigotry and prejudice. And every form of bigotry and prejudice is underpinned by the recurring human tendency to see a different class of people as the “other” – as something less than themselves. It may be driven by hate, fear or ignorance, but history is replete with examples of one people treating another as something less than human. The Nazi’s infamously articulated this idea in the word “untermensch”.
Indulging in this line of thought is the platform for name-calling, discrimination, violence, and ultimately abuses of human rights. It has been the doorway to the worst of human behaviour: hate, oppression, slavery and the Holocaust.
All of it begins with the idea of the “other”.
The idea of the “other” stands in stark contrast to the notion that we should treat others as we expect to be treated ourselves. From Plato to Kant this moral tenet has come to be known as the Golden Rule. It is articulated in every major religion and philosophy. It finds expression everywhere from the Bible to the US Declaration of Independence. This principle of reciprocity is in turn founded upon the fundamental equality of all. In a world where everyone is created equal there can be no “other” who is lesser.
And it is the Golden Rule which underpins liberal democracy and the values of Australian society.
While the Holocaust stands as the most barbaric act in history its pre-condition was the idea of the “other”. Every form of behaviour allowed by this idea exists on a spectrum. In his essay accompanying the 30th anniversary edition of Schindler’s Ark Thomas Keneally said: “… what began with name calling … proceeded to destruction.”
It reminds us that the idea of the “other” is itself fundamentally malevolent. Small beginnings can lead to appalling atrocities.
The treatment of a people as the “other” invariably occurs to a minority. And since the fall of Masada in 73 CE through to the creation of modern Israel in 1948, Jewish communities around the world have existed only as minorities.
For centuries, Jewish communities have been treated as the “other”. Anti-Semitism has been present across the globe. Well before the Holocaust, Jewish communities faced pogroms fuelled by prejudice.
In 1896 Theodore Herzl, first suggested the idea of the recreation of a Jewish homeland: a place where Jews would again exist as the majority. What followed was the birth of the Zionist movement.
In the aftermath of the Holocaust, the need to establish a Jewish homeland became more of a moral imperative. The road which led to the establishment of Israel in 1948 is well understood. It was the former Australian Labor Leader, Doc Evatt, who chaired the UN’s Special Committee on Palestine which paved the way to the historic vote in the UN General Assembly to establish Israel. And to the end, Doc Evatt would regard his contribution to the establishment of Israel as one of his proudest achievements.
With the creation of the modern State of Israel, for the first time in two millennia there was a place in the world where Jews existed other than as a minority: free from prejudice, and free from being treated as the “other”.
This history is important to understand in the context of the contemporary experience of global Jewry.
Against a backdrop of the Holocaust and centuries of anti-Semitism, the very existence of Israel provides a sense of security. It clearly changes the realities of life for Jewish people living in Israel. But it changes the experience of the Jewish diaspora as well.
The Jewish community in Australia and around the world, understandably and rightly, is defensive of the State of Israel. Questioning the right of Israel to exist strikes at the heart of global Jewry. It is anti-Semitic. Reasoned debate about Israel’s actions, like any other country, is valid. International law is paramount. Israel along with every other country must comply with it. However, denying Israel’s right to defend itself, is not criticism — that is an attempt to delegitimize Israel’s existence and has dangerous real-world consequences, including here in Australia.
And understanding this is fundamental to understanding the reaction of the Jewish community over the last 15 months.
The Australian Jewish community are a proud part of Australia and a huge contributor to the establishment of our nation.
When Sidney Myer, the famous Victorian retailer, passed away in 1934, there were thousands of people who lined the streets of Melbourne to pay their respects. A moment that demonstrates Jewish Australians have been at the forefront of Australian life.
For much of the Jewish community in Australia, their roots can be traced back to the Holocaust. Australia received a greater proportion of Holocaust survivors in the aftermath of the Second World War than any other country, with the exception of Israel. For them, their family history in this country began with Australia being a place of refuge.
From Sir John Monash to Sir Isaac Isaacs, Isi Liebler to Frank Lowy, from Barry Cohen to Josh Frydenberg: in law, politics and business – indeed throughout our society – the Jewish community have been central to building modern Australian.
It is a community that we rightly celebrate. It is a community which takes its place alongside all others in the multicultural fabric of modern Australia. And it is a community that has a right to feel safe.
And yet in Australia today, anti-Semitism is the worst that I have seen it in my lifetime.
Jewish businesses are being vandalized. Jewish places of worship are being fire bombed. Swastikas are being drawn on Jewish homes.
This is confronting. It feels unimaginable. This does not feel like Australia and yet it is.
Understandably for many in the Australian Jewish community they do not feel safe.
It deeply saddens me that there are some parents who are confronted that the place where their children are cared for are brandished with hate symbols. This is completely unacceptable. The university sector must lift its game. Every Australian, including Jewish Australians, have a right to study and to feel safe on campus when they do.
Anti-Semitism is antithetical to what Australia is about. It has no place in our country. And it must stop.
This most recent wave of anti-Semitism coincides with events which are playing out in the Middle East. These events are complex. They understandably stir passions amongst many Australians. The history behind these events is long.
Every Australian has a right to express their view about these events and the way in which Australia is exercising its voice in respect of them.
But none of this can justify anti-Semitism. Because nothing can ever justify anti-Semitism. For nothing justifies the treatment of people as the “other”.
Yet, in the name of being progressive, we have seen, for example, protests against Jerry Seinfeld. The absurdity of this is manifest. And yet under the surface there is a menacing intent. Because there can only be one reason to target him. This is the definition of anti-Semitism.
And in the name of far right extremism, we are now seeing symbols from the Holocaust – the swastika and Nazi salutes – being inflicted upon the Jewish community. My visit to Mount Scopus after one such attack last year was a stark reminder. Australian kids, indeed any kids, should not have to face this.
The far left and the far right are joining together in a unified attack on the Jewish community, in a unified expression of anti-Semitism. It is deeply troubling that anti-Semitism is no longer confined to the fringes of society. While neo-Nazis continue to pose a threat, the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism by some who call themselves ‘progressive’, particularly in universities and cultural institutions, is equally alarming. Jewish Australians should not have to fear for their safety in spaces that claim to uphold inclusion and diversity.
Stepping through the detail of anti-Semitism matters. Understanding its history is important. Knowing and identifying its cause and roots is essential. Because it illuminates lessons.
Populism is dangerous. Cheer squads don’t help. Reason must be our protection and our guide. And, self-evidently, combating anti-Semitism must be above partisan party politics.
Both major parties are responsible for having built modern Australia. Both major parties ascribe to the fundamental values of Australian society. Both major parties eschew the idea of the “other”. Both major parties identify with the Golden Rule. Both major parties are opposed to any form of bigotry and prejudice. And both major parties are vehemently opposed to anti-Semitism.
Since coming to office, the Albanese Government has been responsible for criminalizing a number of hate crimes. We have criminalized the swastika. We have criminalized the Nazi salute. And we have criminalized other forms of hate speech.
We are contributing more than $60 million to the safety and security of Jewish schools and community sites. It is so sad that this security is required, and that the Jewish community themselves has to contribute so much.
We have also provided $250,000 towards the replacement and restoration of the Torah Scrolls housed in the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.
We announced $100 million to counter violent extremism and we have established Operation Avalite through the Australian Federal Police. This is seeking to investigate every incident of anti-Semitic hate crime. The AFP is working with state police, who in turn have their own taskforces dedicated to dealing with anti-Semitic hate crimes. We are tracking down the perpetrators and bringing them to justice. In New South Wales alone there have already been 40 arrests.
And yet at the same time, I understand that whilst action matters, in countering prejudice, so too do words.
So let me be clear and unequivocal. Anti-Semitism has no place in Australian society. The Australian Government will do everything within its power to combat anti-Semitism.
This government, along with every Australian government throughout our history, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jewish community in Australia. We celebrate the Jewish community. We acknowledge their invaluable contribution to Australian society. And we will do everything within our power to ensure the Jewish community today feels safe.
Australia has always supported Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, and we will continue to do so. Israel, like any other nation, has the right to protect its citizens from threats to its existence. I want to make it absolutely clear that Australia will always stand by Israel’s right to defend herself against terrorism.
In deed and word, the Australian government and all the state governments stand with the Jewish community.
In his essay, Thomas Keneally pointed out that the Holocaust did not occur in an isolated, remote, or disconnected part of the world. Quite the opposite. It occurred in metropolitan Europe. It occurred in a part of the world which would have considered itself at the forefront of modern civilization.
The worst forms of humanity can manifest in any context. Modernity or a sense of being a part of a “civilized” society are not protections against bigotry and anti-Semitism.
The only protection comes from properly understanding the causes of anti-Semitism. It comes from calling out anti-Semitism whenever it occurs. And protection comes from maintaining vigilance against anti-Semitism in all its forms for all time.
Protection comes from clearly combating the idea of the “other” and ensuring that we treat others as we would seek to be treated ourselves: the Golden Rule.
80 years on from the liberation of Auschwitz, in Australia today, we recommit ourselves to providing that vigilance. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. And we will seek once and for all, to rid our country of anti-Semitism.
ENDS