One of Melbourne’s biggest Jewish schools says some of its primary school students were verbally abused while on an excursion at a museum. It's prompted community leaders to make an urgent plea for better antisemitism education and the state government to voice its disgust at the treatment of students as young as 10.
00:00The Grade 5 students from Mount Scopus Memorial College were on an excursion to promote respect
00:08and shared cultural understanding, when their principal says they were targeted by older students from a different school.
00:14The school says the verbal abuse included anti-Semitic slurs and the political phrase free free Palestine,
00:20all directed at the kids aged just 10 and 11.
00:24For whatever reason identified our students as Jewish and therefore saw that as reason to launch anti-Semitic vitriol.
00:32We've been spending a lot of time supporting those students, giving them time in class where they can reflect.
00:38Parents have expressed their distress on social media and Jewish community leaders say the incident highlights a growing problem.
00:45The attacks on the Australian Jewish community are continuing and are escalating despite our best efforts to combat them.
00:52We've said again and again this needs a whole of community and whole of government response.
00:58The Melbourne Museum offered its support to the school and the education department says it's investigating the incident.
01:04There is no place in this state for that level of bigotry, discrimination, hatred and anti-Semitism. Never again, never again.
01:14Scott Scopus's principal says he's reached out to the other school and offered to work with them to help educate those involved and address the prejudice behind the verbal attacks.
01:24More broadly, we need to urgently look at anti-Semitism education in schools and I am pleased that the Federal Government has committed to look at that.
01:32A community call to choose inclusion and understanding over hate.
01:37A community call to choose inclusion and understanding over hate.
01:39A community call to choose inclusion and belonging between define the way all he writes.
