On this day, 6 December 2024, the anniversary of William Cooper's courageous protest in the wake of Kristallnacht in 1938, and as a synagogue is burnt to the ground in Melbourne overnight, we are urged to take 5 minutes to listen to a short video message from Professor Marcia Langton AO. (Courtesy National Council of Jewish Women Australia)
Professor Langton describes the relationship between Jewish and First Nations people in Australia and warns against the exploitation of the First Nations cause and flag by activists who undermine that important relationship and who feed the antisemitic forces at work in our country.
Background note: On 6 December 1938, just weeks after Kristallnacht (the Nazi-sponsored pogrom that targeted Jews in Europe, where synagogues and Torah scrolls went up in flames, and many Jews were killed or deported) an inspirational Aboriginal leader in Melbourne, William Cooper, led a march to the German consulate in Melbourne to protest the, "cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government in Germany" (Learn more.)
His actions had no impact on Hitler's regime. Yet, he did the right thing. He spoke up, and helped others to do the same.
William Cooper, a Yorta Yorta man and a Christian, continues to inspire First Nations people, Christians and all people of faith and goodwill to be vocal and active in standing in solidarity with Jewish communities as antisemitism surges in Australia and around the world.
Comments