“They Told My Son He Had to Be Sent to the Gas Chambers”: Sydney Protest Sparks Alarm in Jewish Community

A massive pro-Palestinian rally held in Sydney, Australia has deeply unsettled Jewish and Israeli residents of the country. With nearly 100,000 people in attendance, the protest was one of the largest in Australia’s recent history. “The situation is difficult, many are considering returning to the country,” Keren, an Israeli living in Sydney with her family told Channel 12 on Monday. “Others share the concern that they have to go to the workplace and deal with the people who demonstrated,” she added.

Although promoted under the banner “Save Gaza,” the protest included numerous displays of anti-Semitism, such as signs featuring swastikas and images of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “It was a very sad day for the community members, especially for us as Israelis,” Keren said. “The situation here is not good, we are experiencing open anti-Semitism that has escalated in recent weeks – and the local government is doing nothing.”

Further adding to the community’s distress, members of the Australian Labor Party were seen participating in the march, including Sydney’s mayor. “In one picture you can see Culver Moore, the mayor, next to her two former ministers, Bob Carr and Ed Husick, and ironically – Stephen Lawrence, from the NSW Labor government,” Keren pointed out. “The same Lawrence was appointed to head a parliamentary task force dealing with anti-Semitism in the state of New South Wales, and is supposed to prepare an anti-Semitism report on the subject.”

Keren described the growing hostility her family has endured. “I’ve lived here for almost 14 years, Australia is not what it used to be. My child got on a school bus and the kids in the back shouted at him that he was Jewish and that he should be sent to the gas chambers,” she said. “The teachers did nothing, until we finally got to parliament, and only when the Minister of Education received criticism did they do something about it. By the way, when my children respond to insults – the teachers call me to ask why the child is responding.”

Because of rising fears and deteriorating conditions, Keren said many Israelis are now contemplating a return to Israel. “Many are thinking about returning to Israel. We are about 5,000 Israelis and about 120,000 Jews – facing over a million Muslims and an anti-Israeli government, it feels hopeless,” she said.

Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, sharply criticized the event. “When pictures of Khamenei are hoisted at a demonstration and calls for the death of IDF soldiers are heard, this is not a protest – it is incitement,” he said. “Those who salute a dictator and incite against Jewish soldiers are not seeking justice, they are spreading hatred. The anti-Semitism we saw in Sydney must be a serious warning sign for Australian society as a whole.”

Cassuto emphasized that the demonstration was not what its organizers claimed. “After all, if someone had stood in front of them with the Israeli flag and the pictures of the starving hostages that Hamas distributed over the weekend, they would have reacted violently – we know that,” he said. Still, he stressed, “Let everyone know – the Jewish community here is strong, proud, and not going anywhere. Most of the public understands the truth: Israel and the IDF are not fighting the Palestinian people, but the cruel Hamas terrorists.”

Despite widespread chants of “kill the IDF” and songs encouraging intifada, Sydney police deemed the demonstration a “success.” Authorities said the event, which brought much of the city to a standstill, concluded without any violent incidents or injuries.