David Slucki

I think to me it's not that surprising.

The stories we're hearing, they're stories that, you know, within the Jewish community have been circulating for a long time.

They're things that a lot of different people are experiencing.

I think what's probably

Most surprising or shocking to people who are tuning in who don't know these stories is the kind of everydayness of it.

There's the biggest outpourings where there's violent attacks, where there's bombings of institutions.

But it's that everydayness that people experience, the being abused on the train.

The ways in which, you know, Jewish schools have to be really cautious, even just about an excursion to a museum.

You know, we tend to focus on the sort of big outbursts and the worst instances.

And, you know, obviously the massacre at Bondi is just, you know, kind of unimaginable horror.

And the stories that are emerging day after day, and for people who are watching, it's hard watching, it's hard listening.

It's that everydayness that I think is really hard to cope with in a lot of ways.

I was really struck by listening to the school principal of Bialik College talking about some of the experience of his students out on excursions.

The way that children are being co-opted into this, to me, that really stood out.

The other thing I think that was really striking to me was the testimony from the CEO of Jewish Care and the ways in which the staff members at Jewish Care, you know, many, maybe most of whom aren't Jewish, are themselves experiencing antisemitism.

for the fact that they work in a Jewish organization.

And I think that this stuff isn't to be downplayed.

It's really seriously affecting the way people within the Jewish community and people adjacent to the Jewish community move about the world, how they feel a sense of belonging as Australians.

And it really strikes at the heart of their well-being and their capacity to

just face a day when that's always in the back of your mind.