The new school year is usually a time of joy but Jewish parents in Sydney are feeling anxious and uncertain
The new school year is usually a time of joy but Jewish parents in Sydney are feeling anxious and uncertain
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With mothers focused on protecting children from antisemitism, one asks ‘why should they ever be subjected to this?’. The first day of the new school year is usually a day of joy for Jane* and her family. This year, however, the Jewish mother is focused on protecting her children from the rising threat of violent antisemitic attacks.
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“The juxtaposition of my fear and their excitement about starting school, proud of their uniform and their school, is palpable,” the mother of three school- and preschool-aged children from Sydney’s eastern suburbs, who did not want her full name to be used, said on Thursday.
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Waking up to the news of an antisemitic graffiti attack on Mount Sinai College in Maroubra on Thursday, and reeling after the discovery of a caravan laden with explosives and a list of Jewish community targets in Dural on Wednesday, she said returning to school meant her children had to confront hatred.
“It’s my kid’s first day back and my middle child’s first day at school ever – why should they ever be subjected to this? They are innocent children, but they are marked because they are Jewish – it’s terrible and depressing,” Jane said.
“Many parents will be scared to send their kids to school and devastated that their kids should be confronted by such hatred and racism on what already is a big day.”. She said her children’s school had sent notes to parents advising them excursions would be, for the most part, cancelled, or would include some form of security – and that if a student or parent has safety concerns, they were permitted to cover any identifying parts of their uniform.
