Anti-Semitism is a strange and ancient thing. The Old Testament has examples of attempts to wipe out the Jewish people and more recent history is littered with pogroms and discrimination, leading ultimately to the Holocaust. Volumes could be written about it.

I don't think that the recent upsurge in antisemitic activity is solely related to events in the Middle East. It has been there all along, skimming under the surface. I spent the first ten years of my life amongst a majority Jewish population in the Eastern Suburbs. All my friends (yes, literally!) were Jews. I attended birthday parties, hung out with and otherwise fraternised with Jewish kids.

When I moved to the Northern Beaches with my family, apart from my school grades improving markedly (you can work that one out!), I encountered a strange, subtle antisemitic vibe. It found expression in things I had never heard before (such a 'jew jump') or references to certain kinds of negative or selfish behaviour as being 'Jewish', or odd anatomical references to 'big noses.' Later on I met adults who wanted to talk about the Rothschild family, famous bankers from the 19th Century, but in this case, code for antisemitism, since the Rothschilds were Jewish.

I could go on but the sad truth is that antisemitism is deeply embedded in Western Culture and if you scratch the surface, it is there to be found. Israel is not a perfect state nor is its PM a likeable man (one can firmly disagree with a government whilst loving the country itself) but the Jews are the people of the First Covenant, and therefore precious indeed. I hope the Gaza war ends very soon. That should take the sting out of recent events in Australia. But it will not change hearts that are inclined towards anti- Jewish attitudes and rhetoric.