Page 118 - October 7 - Teresa Pirola

From Sunday to Sunday (14–21 July 2024), the Polins, together with other families whose loved ones are held hostage in Gaza, are calling the Jewish world to sing, pray, study Torah, volunteer, give money to charity, bake challah, and help dedicate a new Torah scroll.
All I can do is shake my head in wonder and think: How typical of the Jews, of every Jewish community I have ever met, at home and abroad, over years of interfaith relating. They are not angels; they are flawed mortals like the rest of us. Yet somehow, even in the most impossible of situations, they manage to find a way to meet inhumanity with humanity.
Take, for example, the Jewish community in my homeland, Australia. For nine months they have endured the crushing impact of the October 7 massacre, including having their people held hostage in Gaza and unprecedented antisemitic displays in their own city streets.
So, what do they do? Launch angry protests in their home cities? No. Organise a motorcade to menace the streets of Muslim-populated neighbourhoods? No. Rip down pro- Palestinian posters? No. Scream obscenities and smear the offices of politicians in red paint? No. Deface sacred public memorials? No. Chant ‘f...the Arabs’ in the shadow of the Sydney Opera House? No. Publish the names of Palestinian creatives, exposing them to harm? No. Graffiti the schools and residences of another minority group? No. Set up encampments on university campuses? Nope, not that strategy either.
Rather, they choose the path of resilient, dignified respect— for themselves and for others. They support their members in their grief. They advocate for their community through legitimate, peaceful channels afforded by a democratic nation to which they have so admirably contributed. They get on with their religious traditions and their daily lives,
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