Social cohesion is supposedly the order of the day. Our rights are being steadily eroded in its honour.
One would hardly imagine that a religious institution would host a political figure for whom fear and division are lifeblood. Yet, on February 20, Emanuel Synagogue hosted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Dutton鈥檚 current shtick is weaponising antisemitism for political gain, specifically to intensify the persecution of immigrants, asylum seekers, welfare recipients, environmental defenders and of course pro-Palestinian activists.
For Jews who quake at the growing influence of the far right in this country, his welcome into a synagogue is profoundly unsettling.
In the looming shadow of the laws against protest near places of worship, which had not then been passed, three anti-Zionist Jewish women decided to challenge this egregious abuse of the sanctity of the synagogue.
Surely, a place of worship relinquishes its status as a sacred space when it becomes the venue for a political event?聽
Two of us, Judith Treanor and Suzie Gold, stood several metres from the synagogue entrance, holding small innocuous signs.
The head security wrangler quickly arrived and asked why we were there and if we were part of the community.
Treanor pointed out that the latter wasn鈥檛 his concern, but confirmed our Jewish identity and intention to protest Dutton鈥檚 attendance at the synagogue. She found it deeply enjoyable to tell him her name means 鈥渨oman of Judea鈥. All this took place on a public footpath.
He approved as long as we maintained our distance.
When Michelle Berkon arrived, we moved slightly closer but still away from the entrance.
The security phalanx offered more obstruction to pedestrians than we did, but security felt compelled to protect the community from the trauma of democracy.
He forbade us from approaching further and from walking past the synagogue, threatening to call the police if we didn鈥檛 move on.
We stayed put.聽
Within a few minutes, a police car and a patrol wagon arrived. Mention keffiyehs and the crisis in police response times evaporates.
The officers conferred with security and synagogue officials before approaching us and asking our purpose. We reiterated our intention to protest a political event and reminded them that the law restricting protest had not been passed.
The sergeant said we were 鈥渃ausing fear and alarm鈥 and issued a move-on order, warning that if we didn鈥檛 comply, we鈥檇 be put 鈥渋n a cage鈥, taken to Waverley Police Station and charged.
We complied, albeit in a non-compliant manner. Two 鈥淒uttons-in-waiting鈥 straining at the leash barked orders to 鈥淢OVE!鈥 One made an attempt to intimidate Berkon.
We considered remaining at our designated spot on the corner of Ocean and Oxford Streets but, anticipating Dutton鈥檚 exit, headed for the rear entrance of the synagogue.
A security guard spotted us, alerted her team, and said we weren鈥檛 permitted anywhere in the vicinity. Gold asked her, nicely, to take our photo, but she declined. We hung about for a while and then returned to our corner.
Within a few minutes, a different posse of police arrived. The sergeant explained he was issuing another move-on order to protect the good burghers of the synagogue from 鈥渁larm and distress鈥.
We explained again that we were Jewish ourselves, and were protesting a political event. Berkon recounted her childhood connection with Emanuel and her parents鈥 funeral services there.
The sergeant demurred that they would have taken place at the funeral home Sydney Chevra Kadisha. His 鈥済otcha moment鈥 was short-lived. He now knows it鈥檚 not okay to tell Jews about Jewish cultural practices. He did have the grace to look sheepish. Heeding the call of his earpiece, he wandered away.
The two constables were interested in hearing our views on Palestine, Judaism versus Zionism and family Holocaust histories.
Treanor fought back tears as she expressed her heartbreak that a far-right politician was speaking in a synagogue. They were clearly disheartened by what was unfolding.
The sergeant reappeared, fortified by new arguments. He asserted boldly that we only objected because we don鈥檛 like Dutton. We replied, truthfully, that we were defending people鈥檚 right to protest any political event.
He then said our keffiyehs were 鈥渃ausing intimidation and harassment鈥, but when we removed them, he said it was 鈥渢oo late鈥 and, anyway, it was actually our signs.
Gold informed him that she had been using that sign for 16 years without issue. He then narrowed it down to Berkon鈥檚 sign because of its 鈥淕erman-looking font鈥.
She gave him a short lesson on her right to Holocaust memory. If it weren鈥檛 so deplorable, it would have been pure farce.
The sergeant instructed us to move on, as people were leaving the synagogue. We dallied until he threatened: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to take this further but we will鈥, telling Berkon she鈥檇 be charged with breaching the peace if she didn鈥檛 hurry up.
Apparently, her expression was too loud because he said, warningly: 鈥淒on鈥檛 look at me like that鈥. She replied, 鈥淚鈥檒l look at you any way I want鈥 and, to make it perfectly clear that she understood both the implied threat and her privilege as a white woman, she remarked: 鈥淚鈥檓 not Black so you won鈥檛 shoot me鈥.
The sergeant blustered that this was 鈥渋ntimidating鈥, reflecting the vacuity of the entire raft of police allegations.
He then warned that if we didn鈥檛 provide our identities there鈥檇 be trouble, and appeared somewhat deflated when we proudly complied.
Treanor, seeking once more to impart knowledge, mentioned the Gaza genocide. Probably believing that at last he had logic on his side, the sergeant retorted, 鈥渨e all have different views on that鈥, and received another short lesson, this time on the fact that international law wasn鈥檛 a matter for his opinion.
Ultimately, we were forced to disperse or risk arrest.
Attendees were walking past, scowling and muttering. One man accused Gold of harassing him and his wife and, to be fair, she was walking in the same direction.
Another foamed that we were 鈥渟hameful and disgusting鈥. It was utterly absurd.
Berkon took a photo of a woman who had been particularly nasty. She turned around and shrieked, 鈥淪handa (shame)!鈥 Her husband told us to 鈥減iss off鈥 and called us 鈥渟hit鈥.
A few days later, we learned that a Jewish officer in the Australian Defence Forces had been stripped of his security clearance. He did not consider Israel a foreign state and was willing to share classified information with the Israel Defense Forces.
This officer spent nine years with Sydney Community Security Group (CSG), which provided security for Emanuel Synagogue for this event.
He was trained in Israel by former members of the Israel Security Agency, through an organisation funded by the Israeli government.
Via grants disbursed by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, CSG has received millions in Australian government funding.
Antisemitism thrives on dual loyalty tropes.
The Jewish establishment鈥檚 support for Israel and consequent bromance with the Zionist far-right thereby cultivate antisemitism, putting Jews at risk.
We insist not only on our democratic right to protest any political event, regardless of the venue, but on our obligation to protest the use of our synagogues as networking centres for ideologies inherently injurious to minority communities and supportive of a foreign state engaged in egregious criminality.
[This article was first published by . Judith Treanor, Suzie Gold and Michelle Berkon are members of Jews Against the Occupation 鈥48.]