Australia lost something fundamental two years ago on October 9, barely 48 hours after Hamas carried out the atrocities of October 7, slaughtering 1,200 Israelis and abducting 250. That night, while the sails of the Sydney Opera House were lit in Israeli blue and white, a crowd gathered beneath them not in solidarity, but in hate and fury.

Pro‑Palestinian demonstrators marched from Sydney’s CBD to the Opera House steps, chanting slogans that no civilized society should tolerate. Recorded chants of “Gas the Jews” and “F*** the Jews” were broadcast around the world. No arrests were made; no charges laid except, against a Jewish man carrying an Israeli flag. Australia lost its soul.

That night was a turning point. The antisemitic genie was uncorked, and the Albanese government’s silence signaled to extremists that they would face no consequence. They were emboldened.

Since then, Australia’s streets have echoed with hostility. Synagogues and Jewish schools have been vandalized. A synagogue in Melbourne and a childcare centre in Sydney firebombed. Jewish businesses and philanthropists have been targeted. Swastikas........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)