After a suspected terror attack on a Melbourne synagogue, Jewish Australians reflect on their hopes and fears.
The human rights worker grew up in the United States, studied in Israel and moved to Melbourne two years ago to be with her husband."I couldn't believe that. I thought, is this even possible?" she said. "I felt so safe."The suspected terror attack, which is still under investigation by authorities, was followed by another incident in Sydney's eastern suburbs this week.
"I think that is really a beautiful thing about the Jewish community ... when anything happens like this, we become incredibly united," she said.The head of Victoria's Jewish Community Council, Naomi Levin, said beyond the initial shock and devastation after the attack, there remained a sense of "fear and anxiety" in her community.She said she had liaised with others in the Melbourne Jewish community to set up a self-defence class for mothers with young children.
As for the issue of safety, Ms Levin said individuals must make their own choices about what will help them feel safe enough to live "a proud Jewish life".In Sydney, Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio said the community was feeling "nervous" and "frightened" after a difficult week.She said a security presence was normal for them already — but would be increased for the next little while to help community members feel safe.
"We came here with the view that Australia is the safest country in the world and the Jews would not be faced with such anti-Semitism in the future, where we can bring up our kids in a safe environment.""There is a feeling of being scared, when people are taking their kids to kindergarten and school, they do not know what kind of events can take place. It is unpredictable.However, Mr Morrison said so many in the community had been very supportive.
Victoria Police has previously provided public data on the number of reported incidents of anti-Semitism, as well as other racially-motivated incidents like Islamophobia.
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