Iam a fifth-generation Australian and have lived my adult life in America, but if you ask me how I identify, I say: as a Jew. A Jew whose community has found a haven on the cliffs between the Pacific Ocean and Sydney Harbour. Australian Jews are small in number, don’t make a fuss or attract attention, are not visible in sports, entertainment, or politics. Hanukkah menorahs do not appear next to Christmas trees in public. We are quiet and scrupulously law-abiding.
On October 9, 2023, the Sydney police issued a warning. Jews: Do not go to the city. Do not go to the Opera House. Stay at home. My mother and I were on our way to the Opera House when we saw the warning. We are Jews. We turned around and went home.
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