Think Again - My Beach

Some of my 29 readers may have heard my radio conversation with the morning 2GB presenter Mark Levy this week. As a radio host Mark has been steadfast in his support of the Australian Jewish Community. He has called out terrorism for the hideous sin that it is. He decries the terrible Terror attack at Bondi Beach and genuinely shares the pain that he feels. He is not afraid to place blame on our elected leaders for not speaking up. He speaks forthrightly against radicalism. He calls out the rampant vilification that is spewed out from mosques in Western Sydney. We constantly hear about Words matter. Well, his words count, it’s not cheap to advertise on his show and it is comforting to hear his encouraging words of support over the free media air waves. I always have in the back of my mind to ask him one about his name “Levy” there must be some Jewish blood DNA way back on his dad’s side somewhere.

I rang Levy to advise him of the upcoming Palestinian Rally/Demonstration that will take place this Sunday morning of all places at our beach at Coogee. The rally organisers say that this will be a peaceful rally from “Gadigal to Gaza” I love how they hijack the Indigenous narrative to support Gaza. They of course forget that the indigenous of what they call Palestine were indeed us, the ancient Israelites. I don’t know how they explain away the tomb of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs in the Biblical city of Hebron. I don’t know how they explain Jerusalem the city of King David. Anyway, they are coming to my beach. There was always something special about Coogee Beach. Unlike Bondi it is smaller and intimate but mostly it is so close to a Synagogue. You can come to synagogue (shule) in the morning attain some spiritual sustenance and walk 2 minutes down the road to one of the best beaches in the world. There is a sign on the beach promenade from the council which says “say No to racism” I wish they would take it down the council has been weak in its response to Racism. The Sunday Palestinian Rally is racist. They don’t want Jews in Isreal. They don’t want a Jewish state. That means they don’t want Jews full stop.

Anyway, I contacted our Federal member Matt Thislethwaite and State member Marjorie Oneil and neither said that they could do much about it. It was not an illegal rally. Hence, which is why I rang the Mark Levy morning show perhaps he could get to our hero Chris Minns. I think it is all to no avail.

Coogee Beach is the site of the Bali Memorial. A beautiful sculpture on the North side of the beach was erected to perpetuate the memory of the 88 Australians killed in Bali and especially to commemorate the lives of the 20 Coogee Dolphin Rugby players and friends who were murdered in that terror attack in Bali. The Coogee Dolphins are a local club and they suffered badly, very badly at the hands of radical Islamist terrorists. They are one and the same terrorists who shot and murdered at Bondi Beach. How repugnant to allow a Palestinian rally that reveres Islamist terrorism and so desecrates the very significant memorial site to the victims of Bali. For the life of me I think it is the State Government that must stop this.

Further shocking is the fact that they have chosen a sister beach to Bondi Beach to do their rally. What they are in affect saying is that we condone and understand what led to Bondi Beach. We can justify what happened at Bondi. Because here we are at Coogee Beach, down the road spewing hatred, vilifying the local Jewish community, promoting and embracing everything that which the terrorists stood for at Bondi.

Pretty vile if you think about it for living in a free and democratic country.

I received some negative feedback from my interview. Some say, I was not firm or strong enough in my condemnation. I was not forthright in calling out our elected representatives. I contacted the radio to get my point out there to the silent majority; I contacted the radio to allow the silent majority to draw the parallel of the Bali terrorist attack, the Bondi terrorist attack to yet another beach Coogee. I contacted the radio to say hello and thank you to a friend of the Jewish community in Mark Levy. I did not contact the radio to have a public brawl. I do believe our elected members are indeed friends. The whole wide world is a very narrow bridge and sometimes there is a fine line to tread in the art of discretion.

Anyway, I am not the arbiter of what is right or wrong in this instant. I felt as the “Coogee Rabbi” I should have a voice and opinion of what transpires at my beach. It is my opinion now not to counter demonstrate or counter rally and let them die of no oxygen. On the other hand I do understand those who want to counter demonstrate and counter rally. They demonstrate to the assembled rabble that we won’t be pushed over anymore. All strength and courage to them. Never Again.

As always L’chaim

Praying for a quick victory in the Middle East and for real peace in Israel

See you in shule