Jillian Segal will serve a three-year time period and report on to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Australia has appointed a particular envoy to fight anti-Semitism amid issues that the struggle in Gaza is fuelling communal tensions.
Jillian Segal, a Jewish lawyer and enterprise chief, will work with Australian Jews, the broader Australian public, spiritual discrimination specialists and the federal government on methods to handle anti-Jewish sentiment, the Australian authorities stated in an announcement Tuesday.
Segal will serve a three-year time period and report on to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles.
Albanese stated there was “no place” for violence or hatred in Australia.
“Australians are deeply involved by this battle and plenty of are struggling. At instances like this, Australians should come collectively, not be torn aside,” Albanese stated.
“We have now constructed the social cohesion of our nation collectively over generations, and that’s the reason we should all work collectively to defend and protect it.”
Albanese stated his authorities would additionally quickly announce a particular envoy to fight Islamophobia.
In certainly one of his first duties in his new position, Segal will attend the World Jewish Congress in Argentina subsequent week to debate anti-Semitism with different envoys from around the globe.
Segal warned Tuesday that anti-Semitism has turn into “normalized,” citing information from Australia’s peak Jewish physique displaying a 700 % rise in reported hate incidents within the months following the Oct. 7 Hamas assaults on Israel and the beginning of Israel’s struggle in Gaza.
“The Jewish neighborhood in Australia is experiencing legitimate emotions of concern within the face of rising anti-Semitism,” Segal stated.
“Australian Jews need to be at liberty to reside their day by day lives they usually additionally need to really feel secure to practise and categorical their faith with out concern. Additionally they need to have the ability to contribute, as they’ve carried out up to now, to the colourful multicultural society that we worth in Australia.”
Like different nations, Australia has seen heated protests over the struggle in Gaza, with each Jewish and Muslim communities reporting a pointy rise in hate speech.
Greater than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza because the begin of the struggle, in response to the Gaza Ministry of Well being.
Greater than 1,130 individuals have been killed within the Hamas assaults on October 7, in response to Israeli authorities.
The Govt Council of Australian Judaism, which Segal headed till final 12 months, welcomed the appointment of the brand new envoy to hold out “important work for the betterment of Australian society.”
Nonetheless, the Australian Jewish Council, which has been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, expressed concern about Segal’s file “of lobbying for Israel, opposing voices supporting Palestinian human rights and portraying all Jews as supporters of Israel’s actions.”
“By appointing a pro-war particular person to this place, the federal government dangers creating division, growing Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, and finally making Jews much less secure,” the council stated in an announcement.