A young Israeli woman was denied a job at a local business in Melbourne, Australia, due to her nationality, with the owner accusing her of being complicit in genocide, N12 News reported on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, the position has been filled by someone who has a semblance of humanity and who cares for plants, animals, and the environment. Good luck on your journey and I hope you leave Melbourne soon!” the message from the owner, Brett Dahan, read.
He then went on to accuse her of supporting genocide and ended the message with "Free Palestine."
The unnamed 24-year-old woman told N12 that she was frustrated by the incident.
“I’m just frustrated that they’re so unaware of reality and allow all their knowledge to be based on trends, and that’s where this disgraceful behavior comes from,” she said.
Israeli woman denied job in Australia as rates of antisemitism rise
“I’ve been traveling the world for a year, and every time I encounter such cases, it’s immediately clear where these people get their information from – TikTok and Instagram. Everything is done in the name of moral righteousness, but none of them have any idea what they’re talking about,” she added.
“None of them have any verified facts, and of course, their feet have never stepped on our beautiful land to understand its endless complexity firsthand. Hopefully, they won’t wake up when it’s too late.”
Local Jewish organization Lions of Zion announced it would hold a protest outside the business on Monday.
“We will not allow antisemitism to go unanswered,” the organization told N12.
This comes after Australia recorded record-high levels of antisemitism in August, according to the Combat Antisemitism Movement.
According to a CAM survey, 28% of respondents described attitudes towards Jews as very negative (8%) or slightly negative (20%).
In another poll response, one in five young Australians (ages 18 to 34) reported witnessing or hearing about anti-Semitic incidents in their area.