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Calls for calm following ‘antisemitic’ attack on Jewish Labor candidate

Jenne Perlstein says Nazi slur will not deter her from running for council

A close up of the coreflute that was defaced (part of this image has been blurred to obscure an offensive word). Source: Facebook

Mark Phillips


COMMUNITY leaders have condemned antisemitic graffiti that defaced a coreflute for a Labor candidate for Merri-bek Council. 

Deputy Mayor Lambros Tapinos said the vandalism of a coreflute for fellow Labor candidate Jenne Perlstein was the worst thing he had seen in more than a decade and half of local government politics. 

And Mayor Adam Pulford, who is in a tight race with Perlstein to win the Warrk-Warrk ward in Brunswick East for the Greens, said there was no place in the community for antisemitism. 

The graffiti was discovered by Perlstein, who describes herself as a progressive Jew and anti-war activist, on Wednesday on a coreflute that had been placed on the front fence of a Labor member who lives near Lygon Street.  

A Hitler moustache was drawn on a photo of Perlstein’s face and the coreflute was plastered with stickers, including two that appropriated the Star of David to attack Israel’s war in Gaza. 

At first, Perlstein thought the graffiti was part of an anti-Labor campaign by pro-Palestine activists. But she said no other Labor candidates had been attacked in the same way and she had no doubt it was directed at her personally because of her religion and cultural heritage. 

“It was really quite offensive,” she said. “My surname is definitely Jewish, and I see it as being antisemitic as well as anti-Labor.”  

Tapinos described the graffiti as “disgusting, vile and extreme” and said he felt compelled to call it out because it was the worst thing he had seen in his 16 years of involvement in local council politics. 

He urged other councillors and candidates to also condemn it. 

“Sometimes coreflutes get vandalised with childish stuff like moustaches or glasses but this is vicious and malicious, the worst I have seen. 

“We’re all putting our hand up to run for council because we care for the community and want to give back to the community and anyone who has their signs defaced and attacked especially for their cultural or religious background, it’s not on. 

“I call for everyone to have a clean campaign.” 

He was backed by Pulford, who is contesting the same ward as Perlstein. 

It’s disgraceful that someone has attacked a candidate because she’s Jewish,” he said. 

“There is no place for antisemitism in our community. Everyone should be safe to participate in public life and be treated with respect. 

“When we’re calling for the horrific war in Gaza to end, we have a responsibility to focus on the cause. I encourage people to campaign strongly for peace and not target someone because of their religion, race or any other personal characteristic.” 

Perlstein said she was culturally Jewish through her great-grandfather who arrived in Australia from Poland in the 1870s, but she was brought up in a secular household before converting to Judaism 20 years ago. 

But while she identifies as Jewish, on the issue of Palestine, Perlstein describes herself as being “to the left of Labor”. 

“My stance is I want the war to cease, aid to get into Gaza and Palestine, the hostages returned to Israel, and the start of a two-state solution. 

“I’m not a Zionist in the current meaning of the word … I’m a human rights activist and have been all my life, I was captain of the Wills for Yes campaign, always been anti-war and a peace activist. 

“They have made so many assumptions about my views that are not accurate.” 

The attack on Perlstein’s coreflute happened in the same week as a Brunswick East business owner said his wine shop was targeted with a symbol linked to Hamas

Perlstein said the attack would not make her reconsider her decision to run for the council. 

“It emboldens me and I feel more motivated to put my values out there,” she said. 

The Victorian Local Government Inspectorate declined to confirm whether it was investigating any complaints about the graffiti.

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