ATTACKS ON JEWS RISE

01dec03

ANTI-Semitic vandalism and the pelting of Jewish Australians with eggs as
they left synagogues intensified when war broke out in Iraq, a report has
found.

An annual study of anti-Semitism in Australia found anti-Semitic rhetoric,
hate mail and attacks against Jews were at their second-highest level in 15
years.
But the most serious cases involving physical assault and property damage
set new records for the second year running.

In the week war erupted in Iraq in March, graffiti reading "Kill the Jews"
was scrawled in a Sydney park while the Jewish Museum in Melbourne was
vandalised and a Sydney synagogue was the subject of an arson attempt.

Jews walking home from synagogue were verbally abused and pelted with eggs,
fruit and bottles.

New South Wales and Victoria -- where most of the nation's 100,000

Jews live, logged the most complaints.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry's report documented more than 500
anti-Semitic incidents nationwide in the 12 months to September 30.

"We have these extremist elements, we have the abusive elements," council
president and report author Jeremy Jones said.

"While we generally have a situation where the aver-

age Jewish person in Australia does not encounter anti-Semitism in their
daily existence, the number of people who do encounter it has been growing
by as much as 250 per cent over a two-year period."

In the past year, rocks were thrown at kosher food outlets, a rabbi was
assaulted and a museum hosting an exhibition on righteous gentiles was
covered in anti-Semitic stickers and graffiti.

The Iraq war sparked anti-American sentiment and foreign policy debate
degenerated into Jewish conspiracy theories, Mr Jones said.

"There was less sophistication in language discussing matters of public
affairs in which the Jewish community might appear to be involved," he said.

"In other words, people turning to shorthand conspiracy theories rather than
intelligent analysis, which gives the green light to racists."

There was also a rise in anti-Semitic e-mail and threatening calls were made
to Jewish groups.

It was not all bad news, with talks between Jewish, Muslim and Christian
communities flourishing.

"Inter-faith dialogue, which has a capacity to break down stereotypes and
negatives caricatures, continued to develop," Mr Jones said.

-----