Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my hand, President, is a Jewish memorial candle, or, as it's called in Yiddish, a yahrzeit candle. It's usually lit on the anniversary of a loved one's passing, but, on Sunday 5 May, it was lit to commemorate all the victims of the Holocaust. Sunday 5 May marked Holocaust Remembrance Day, when the Jewish community joined with the world to commemorate the brutal murder and enslavement of the millions of Jewish people who were persecuted by the Nazis.

It was on this day a few weeks ago that I attended two events in Sydney. The first event was organised by Youth Holocaust Education And Remembrance, an organisation created and managed by young people in the Australian Jewish community who are passionate about ensuring that 'never again' is never forgotten. The grandchildren and descendants of survivors of the Holocaust recounted the long history of persecution and suffering that the Jewish people have experienced, from Roman times, through the Spanish Inquisition and in Nazi Germany—indeed, right up until today.

Survivor Egon Sonnenschein recounted his hardship in Nazi-controlled Croatia—a puppet Nazi state run by the brutal Ustashi, whose cruelty was on a par with the most abominable regimes of the past. Victims of the Ustashi's sadistic rule were impaled, burned alive, and tied together and then drowned. The brutalities and murders Egon witnessed remain ingrained in his memory to this day. His recounting of his remarkable journey of survival and hiding, however, did not finish there. Happily, he continued to go on and tell us how he rebuilt his life, marrying the love of his life and starting a business as a refugee.

On the same evening of 5 May, I joined with the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies to mark this important day and also to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Hungary and the mass deportation of Hungarian Jews. In a period of just eight weeks, over 420,000 Jews were deported from Hungary, with most ending in that infamous place Auschwitz, where they were gassed on arrival. I heard the incredible stories of Hungarian Holocaust survivors Barbara Grunstein, Joe Symon and Lilly Wolf. It was also harrowing to hear from the son of the Righteous Among the Nations, Per Anger. Jan Anger spoke of his father's efforts to use his role as a Swedish diplomat to grant protections and ultimately save the lives of many of Hungary's Jews. In those cruel times, one finds what the true kindness of humanity looks like.

Antisemitism is something that I care deeply about. It is a repugnant, ancient evil that goes against every moral fibre of my being.

On Tuesday morning, the United States' Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism gave a briefing to parliamentarians, on my invitation. We, as parliamentarians, must listen to the warnings of actions of hate that appear in the world, to educate and to eradicate xenophobia worldwide.

The Holocaust was an important and horrifying lesson to the world. Yet, as I lit the candle on 5 May, I was still unsure if we have actually learned the lesson. Hate is a powerful motivator of some individuals. It exists in every workplace, in every political party and in every country. And the more inequity there is, the worst it gets. Hate is fed by inequity. Hate is fed by a failure to see our common humanity. What frightened me were my conversations with the young people of Jewish faith who spoke to me about their experiences of simply trying to attend their university—the names they were being called; the actions that were being taken. I believe in protest. I believe in the differences across our democracy. I do not believe in hate. I do not support or endorse antisemitism in any shape or form.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, I remind you that, in the future, if you're bringing cultural artefacts in, you do need to clear it with the Presiding Officer.