#40 – Lights, Candles, Action!

Firstly, a belated Happy Hanukkah to all!

Hanukkah is a really fun time. In between the traditional jam donuts, fried potato cake latkes and dreidel spinning top game; we light the candles of the menorah to show how light always conquers darkness.

And it was a dark time 2,000 years ago. Judaism was outlawed, our Temple was desecrated and Jews were punished for being Jews. After a long resistance, the candles of the Temple were lit, signifying an end to the oppression.

It’s up to all of us, from that moment, to never let the darkness creep back.

But the darkness of anti-Semitism, like Whac-A-Mole, just keeps finding ways to poke its ugly head out. It veils itself in causes and issues, where a few renegades twist an agenda to make it anti-Semitic.

Let me explain. Among the anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protests in my home city, a few very loud people took the opportunity to spread their hate. These QR codes claim we arranged for the 9/11 attacks. Ikea was spray-painted with ‘No Jew Jab For Oz’, which like the Ikea instructions makes no bloody sense.

Then of course whenever the Israeli-Palestinian conflict makes the news, it goes into overdrive. Whatever your political disposition, we can all agree driving through Jewish neighbourhoods shouting: “f**k the Jews, rape their daughters” is just disgusting.

We can all agree it’s bad. But am I overreacting? A little misinformation here, some crazy people there. No one will listen and no one will take it seriously, right?

Not quite. For the darkness to spread, all it takes is for good people to sit back and let it happen, before it finds its way into schools, universities, social life.

In between the swastikas carved into desks at school, the parents who discouraged their kids to play with me because I’m Jewish and a few really uncomfortable comments – there is one incident that stands out.

Second-year criminology tute at Deakin Uni. It’s a subject on terrorism and we’re discussing the 9/11 attacks in small groups. Another student – a woman in her early 20s – kicks off with this gem:

“I didn’t know the Jews controlled America and have slaves there!”

I was shocked. I was furious. She’s an educated woman in a good university, who by now probably has a criminology degree and a white-collar job. I tried to stay calm.

“You know, I’m Jewish, and we don’t own anyone, right?”

She looked scared. She would sooner believe I was actually 3 frogs in a trench coat posing as a human, than that I was a Jew sitting across the table from her.

She didn’t say a word to me after that. I can’t tell you where she gets her information from, but I can confidently say it’s being backed by casual anti-Semitism and the dark parts of Google.

Even the stuff that’s too stupid to comprehend is catching on. I own America? I would do a much better job with America to be honest, but that’s beside the point.

What can we do? We know it’s wrong, but we succumb to the darkness because it seems distant. Every time we let it happen, it crawls into our lives.

We can call it out. Report the anti-Semitic graffiti, teach your kids love and tolerance, don’t turn away from it when you see it.

Be the light and conquer the darkness.

Next week: Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten