Mainstream Australian Jewish communal organizations have condemned the Rosh Hashanah prayer service held by part of a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community in Melbourne in contravention of a corona lockdown.
One prominent member of the Jewish community said there was a concern the widely publicized illegal gathering could give rise to heightened antisemitism in the country.
It is estimated that several dozen worshipers mostly from the Satmar hassidic group attended a Rosh Hashanah service on Tuesday in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea, despite an ongoing corona lockdown in the state of Victoria in place since August 21.
Police were alerted to the unauthorized prayer service, and after a long standoff, some of the congregants left the building and were issued fines amid scuffles in which a media cameraman was reportedly injured.
Other worshipers reportedly fled the scene across rooftops.
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) said it was “appalled and outraged” by the incident, which is ascribed to “the selfish actions of a small number of individuals who organized and attended an illegal prayer gathering” in contravention of corona restrictions.
The organization noted that it and other Jewish institutions have urged the Jewish community not to gather over the holiday season.
“The vast majority of us are playing our part to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus,” the JCCV said in a statement. “We do this together, unified as Victorians, Australians, who work together, play sport together, live and socialize together. Those who break the rules are acting as individuals, not communities or faiths.” It added however that “we cannot digress to hate and generalization to include the majority of individuals who made the right choice to follow the rules.”
JCCV President Daniel Aghion said that “The actions of a few do not represent the vast majority of our community,” and that it was “central to the Jewish religion that lives are to be protected, and that the law of the country must be complied with.”
The Rabbinical Council of Victoria ascribed the incident to a small minority of the Jewish community.
“We decry and condemn anyone who breaches these guidelines and places the health of the community at risk,” the council said, as reported by the news.com.au news website.
One prominent member of the Australian Jewish community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the wider Jewish community was “pretty embarrassed and disgusted” by the incident.
“To watch those videos of those people who breached health orders climbing over roofs to escape, bursting out of nowhere to confuse the police so that they can’t be found is pretty awful,” he said. “It will also probably be misused by some to generate antisemitism.”
He noted that a similar phenomenon had occurred after a widely circulated video emerged of an Orthodox family celebrating an engagement several weeks ago.
“Everyone understands that there are two overriding considerations: that we have to obey the law of the land, and that the regulations are there to save lives,” he said.
It is thought that the Satmar community has run regular prayer services since the middle of 2021, despite numerous lockdowns, under the cover of regulations allowing for group support and therapy sessions during the lockdowns.