4^th August 2014

Joint Media Statement
by the Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
– Apology by “Sydney Morning Herald” Con­cern­ing Antisemitic Cartoon
The Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry and the NSW Jewish Board Deputies welcome today’s editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald unre­servedly apo­lo­gising for the pub­lic­a­tion of an antisemitic cartoon on 26 July 2014. Having con­sidered the matter closely, we are of the view that the public apology issued by the Sydney Morning Herald, as a feature editorial, obviates the necessity for either of our organ­isa­tions to pursue any formal complaint. In that regard we consider the matter closed.
However, we believe that this matter has high­lighted the need for deeper under­stand­ing in the wider community of the phe­nomen­on of racism and, in par­tic­u­lar, of anti-Jewish racism.
It is a fallacy to suggest that every criticism of Israel is antisemitic. The serious charge of antisemitism should never be falsely made in order to stifle political debate. However, it is equally fal­la­cious to assert that no criticism of Israel is antisemitic.
When criticism of Israel is couched in terms which employ or appeal to negative ste­reo­types of Jewish people generally; or deny the Jewish people their right to self-determ­in­a­tion; or apply double standards by requiring of Israel standards of behaviour not expected or demanded of any other demo­crat­ic nation; or hold Jews col­lect­ively respons­ible for actions of the state of Israel, then the line has been crossed. This last criterion, exacer­bated by the negative ste­reo­typ­ing, was the failing of the cartoon published by the Sydney Morning Herald.
We hope that this regret­table affair will lead to more serious con­sid­er­a­tion within Fairfax Media, and certain other sections of the media, about con­tem­por­ary mani­fest­a­tions of antisemitism. In par­tic­u­lar, we hope that there will now be better under­stand­ing of the way in which antisemitism is capable of mutating and adapting to changed cir­cum­stances.
The attempt by the Sydney Morning Herald to explain its “lapse” high­lights the need for this. The Sydney Morning Herald’s con­ten­tion that the cartoon was based on pho­to­graphs of a group of people observing the fighting in Gaza from a hilltop, and that the figure in the cartoon is “over­see­ing” the fighting in Gaza like “someone watching their tele­vi­sion”, defies credulity. The figure in the cartoon is not merely a passive observer of the fighting, as are the people in the pho­to­graphs. He is shown activ­at­ing a remote control device which is blowing up people and buildings. The depicted device is not a mere tele­vi­sion remote control.
We sincerely hope that the res­ol­u­tion of this con­ten­tious issue will ensure a more con­sidered approach to issues of concern to the Jewish community from Fairfax Media, in par­tic­u­lar sur­round­ing ste­reo­typ­ing and vili­fic­a­tion.

Robert Goot AM SC, President, Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry	Yair Miller, President, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
Contact:
Perter Wertheim AM, Executive Director, Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry	Vic Alhadeff, CEO, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
[email protected]	[email protected]
0408 160 904	0408 964 358