Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (10:10): 6 May marks Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, the day we pause to honour the memory of the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust but also the Sinti and the Roma, the disabled, the homosexuals and the political opponents of the Nazis, principally Soviet POWs, who were subject to forced experiments and gassed to death. Now more than ever it is very important that we reaffirm our commitment to preventing this ever happening again.

I recently had the privilege of attending a commemoration of Yom HaShoah at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Elsternwick under the theme of ‘Inheriting memories and preserving truth’. The event provided a poignant opportunity to reflect on human history’s darkest chapter. Melbourne with its significant population of Holocaust survivors, including many within Southern Metro, stands as a testament to resilience.

Hate speech has no place in our community. We must continue to stand against antisemitism and all forms of racism and religious vilification. Our community thrives from difference, and we can and all should have political differences in our discourse. The war in Gaza is horrifying. Too many innocent civilians have died, but Melbourne’s Jewish community should not be the targets of anger at the actions of the Israeli government, and the language of protest must not be antisemitic, because we all know how hate speech ends. I encourage everyone to clearly and vocally take a stand against antisemitism and other forms of racism and everyone to visit Melbourne Holocaust Museum.