Submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

Wellbeing of Jewish Children in Australia: Taunts and Fears

As an ally of Australian Jewish women and their families, my primary concern is the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of Jewish children and young people, now and in the years to come. Jewish children who attend a Jewish school or a synagogue, or who visit a Jewish community organisation, or go to a public Jewish event, are constantly reminded that they are under threat. They see fences, heavy gates, security guards and bollards to stop a car ramming. They see the Community Security Group (CSG) run by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies or their equivalent in other parts of Australia. Sometimes they will see police.

As a non-Jewish woman, when I visit synagogues in Sydney, I have experienced being politely questioned by security personnel to “check me out” before I am welcomed inside. Jewish children and young people witness these security activities all the time. These measures have been in place for many years but since October 7 they have intensified.

Physical safety is a vital goal. But the emotional impact of constant surveillance is not something that non-Jewish children have to deal with. At an emotional and spiritual level, how can Jewish children avoid a sense that our Australian community is an inherently dangerous place and that “some people are out to get us”? Once children become aware that non-Jewish children don’t have these levels of security and protection in their lives, how do they avoid internalising the view that they are not welcome and safe in Australia in the same way as everyone else?

Reports of Jewish children being taunted and bullied by non-Jewish children in schools are a growing threat to social cohesion. My concern is that Jewish parents, who have previously chosen to send their children to mainstream public, independent or Catholic schools, will increasingly transfer their children to Jewish schools because of concerns about bullying or antisemitic taunts. Social cohesion will be undermined if this becomes a trend.

Personally, my life has been enriched by going to an Anglican girls’ school with a group of Jewish class mates, as well as girls from other religious and cultural communities. My positive relationships with Jewish boys and girls and their families in my teenage years – visiting Jewish homes and hearing about the history of the Holocaust and patterns of violence and discrimination throughout the centuries – informs my understanding of current events. Most importantly, my response to antisemitism in Australia is instinctively empathic. Jewish people are not “the other” to me because I have known Jewish people from childhood. I have been inoculated against the emergence of ancient, negative cultural stereotypes about Jews because Jewish people have been friends and family since my youth.

My hope is that recommendations from the Royal Commission can offer guidance to the Australian people about action we can take so that Jewish children and young people can feel welcome and safe as citizens of Australia.

Julie McCrossin AM
Member, National Council of Jewish Women Australia Allies Committee
Submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion