Deborah Hart: Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Chair on the call for NZ to develop an antisemitism strategy

Jewish leaders are calling for New Zealand to follow in Australia's footsteps and formulate an antisemitism strategy. 

The Australian special envoy's plan includes harsher hate speech laws and stripping funding where possible from broadcasters, universities and arts institutions.  

It follows a string of antisemitic attacks in Australia in the past few months. 

Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Chair Deborah Hart told Ryan Bridge Jewish people in New Zealand are feeling scared. 

She says people are seriously talking about a plan B and who might hide them if things take a turn for the worse. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now anti Semitism. We've had the Australians come out
with a strategy. There are calls for one. Here. Debrah
Hart is the chair of the Holocaust Center of New
Zealand and is on the line. Hi Debra, Hi Ryan,
how are you good? Thank you? What would strategy actually do?
Is it really going to change anything?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, it will if it is a clear, accountable package
with evidence driven strategies and has inclusive engagement and the
types of things that the Australian anti Semitism envoy are
very sensible and could be adopted here.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
You say in your statement that anti Semitism in New
Zealand has moved from being a fringe issue to a
mainstream one. What does that mean?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
It means that Jewish people in New Zealand, many of
them are really scared. You hear Jewish people talking about
what's their plan be if it all turns to custard
here or who might hide them? They're seriously having those conversations.
And I can give you some examples of the kinds
of things.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
You're talking about. Who might hide them? Yes, in case
someone comes after them.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yes, we have a family of a preschooler, a three
year old was. His preschool teacher demanded of him to
know if he was Israeli, and then she manhandled him
three separate times. That family was so scared that they
moved Feaes. We have Jewish students at universities who have

(01:39):
left their studies because campuses are so awful for them
that they just don't feel they can be there anymore.
The Holocaust Center of New Zealand regularly receives hate mail.
We regularly get told by public institutions that they can't
host us because they have security concerns that it will

(02:02):
be unsafe for their staff and their institution, and they
don't want to pay for the security that would be required.
We have had assaults, assaults of children, assaults of adults.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Debrah, I'm getting loads of texts. You can imagine. The
gist of it is. Many people speaking out against the
actions of the IDEF in Palestine are being labeled antisemitic.
They are using this as a shield. Is saying stop
killing Palestinians antisemitic.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
No, not at all. It's not anti submitic to criticize Israel,
but it is antisemitic to hold Jews in New Zealand
accountable for the Israeli government and what's happening in data.
You can have whatever views you like about about Israel
and about the Palestinian course. Goodness Jewish people do, but

(02:56):
there are some lines that you that you can't cross,
and you shouldn't be making Jewish people here responsible for
what is happening. What's happening in Gaza and what we're
seeing at the moment is really a ramping up of
rhetoric and hate directed at the Jewish community, and there

(03:20):
are real world consequences that for Jewish people living in
this country.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Debra hartch He at the Holocaust Center of New Zealand
says it has to stop.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
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