Antisemitism in New Zealand
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Antisemitism in New Zealand is the manifestation of hostility, prejudice or discrimination against the New Zealand Jewish people or Judaism as a religious, ethnic or racial group. This form of racism has affected Jews since New Zealand's Jewish community was established in the 19th century.
According to the New Zealand Jewish Council, "Overt acts of antisemitism have been largely absent in New Zealand, but not entirely."[1]
19th century
Although Julius Vogel became the country's first Jewish premier in 1873, immigration policy instituted in 1881 prohibited curtailed Jewish immigration. [2] Immigration was effectively closed to cultures deemed too foreign (a category which also included eastern European Jews) and that were of non-British origin[3] Some have attributed this attitude to New Zealand's geographic isolation at the time, to fear of economic competition, to the dilution of a perceived "white" culture.[4][5][6]
20th century
Antisemitism and discrimination increased during the Second World War, with Jews excluded from professions and Jewish immigration.[1] The immigration policy continued to favour migrants of British-origin while excluding Jews and Asians.[7] 1100 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution were given refuge in New Zealand, while thousands of other Jewish applicants were rejected.[7] The refugees that entered before and after the war encountered prejudice from a mostly homogeneous non-Maori New Zealand society.[7] The trade union movement in the country was ambivalent towards Jewish refugees, with the New Zealand Federation of Labour preferring non-Jewish victims of fascism.[7] Some local academics and the Christchurch Refugees Emergency Committee supported Jewish immigration.[7] Christian churches in New Zealand were mostly ambivalent towards the settlement of Jewish refugees, with only the Religious Society of Friends attempting to influence government immigration policy and then assisting the refugees that were permitted entry.[7] After the war, the government mostly rejected immigration applications from foreign relatives of New Zealand Jewry and those of the newly-arrived refugees.[7] This was in contrast to Australian policy that stressed its humanitarian obligations.[7]
In 1977, the New Zealand Jewish community was targeted by a leaflet drop in the Auckland suburb of Remuera. The National Socialist Party of New Zealand was responsible for producing and disseminating 9000 copies of the pamphlet. It contained images of Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler and it condemned Judaism, likening Jews to the devil. Colin King-Ansell, leader of the party, was convicted, leading to New Zealand's first ever conviction for hate speech.[8]
In 1990, a woman with a history of psychiatric illness, reportedly screamed anti-semitic epithets before carrying out a knife attack on four Jewish children.[9][10]
21st century
In 2004, scores of Jewish graves, including Solomon Levy's and other historic early Jewish graves, were smashed and spray painted with swastikas and other anti-semitic messages at Wellington.[11] The New Zealand Parliament responded rapidly to condemn the actions.[12]
In 2022, the New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC) published a major survey of antisemitism in New Zealand, focusing attention on several areas of concern such as Holocaust denial and left-wing antisemitism.[13]
New antisemitism
The 2023 Hamas terrorist attack and subsequent Israeli counterstrike saw a rise in antisemitic sentiment in New Zealand as well, with Jewish community members and experts warning of real-life repercussions.[14] [15] In November 2023, a statue of Dove-Myer Robinson, a former Jewish mayor of Auckand, was defaced with a swastika following a protest for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.[16] Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick drew criticism for her public usage of the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free". The NZJC responded that "There is one very important question that was not put to Chlöe, and is not put to anybody who uses that phrase: do you believe that Israel should exist, do you believe in a two-state solution? I'd like somebody who uses that chant to actually answer that question."[17] In November of the same year, a fence at the rear of Beth Shalom synagogue, was sprayed with the words Gaza, save the children, ceasefire and ‘fuk’. Behind the vandalised fence is a building that was previously home to Habonim Dror Aotearoa New Zealand, a Socialist-Zionist youth movement.[18]
References
- ^ a b Survey of Antisemitism in New Zealand in 2021 New Zealand Jewish Council. March 2022
- ^ Story: Ethnic and religious intolerance Te Ara. 7 June 2018
- ^ "2. – Immigration regulation – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "CHAPTER 18 – Aliens". Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "3. – Immigration regulation – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "Further information – British & Irish immigration, 1840-1914 – NZHistory, New Zealand history online". Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h THE RESPONSE OF THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT TO JEWISH REFUGEES AND HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, 1933-1948 New Zealand Holocaust Centre. 2013
- ^ Our Truth, Tā Mātou Pono: The 1977 hate speech attack on Jews in Auckland’s Remuera Stuff. 6 February 2021
- ^ Four Children Stabbed by Woman in Attack on Auckland Day School by Jeremy Jones Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 17 July 1990
- ^ People of New Zealand Reach out to Jews After Attack on School Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 25 July 1990
- ^ Barkat, Amiram. "Cemetery Vandalism Shocks Wellington Jews". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "Motions – Jewish Graves and Chapel, Wellington – Vandalism". New Zealand Parliament, Hansard. 10 August 2004. p. 14715. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Anti-Semitism Survey of New Zealand 2021 Jewish Lives. Retrieved on 17 December 2023
- ^ Frykberg, Laura (2023-11-22). "Rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic online content in NZ since Oct 7". 1news.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Smith, Anneke (2023-10-19). "Israel-Gaza conflict raises fears of violence in New Zealand". rnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Israel-Hamas war: Former Auckland mayor Sir Dove-Myer Robinson’s statue vandalised with swastika after pro-Palestine rally New Zealand Herald. 13 November 2023
- ^ "Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick defends 'river to the sea' chant used at pro-Palestine rally". rnz.co.nz. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Auckland Jewish community centre vandalised Stuff. 8 November 2023