Dear Prime Minister Albanese,

My name is Leo Fineberg and I am an 11-year-old boy who is a proud Zionist Jew. I was inspired to write to you after reading Josh Frydenberg’s letter to you on the weekend and I wanted to give you my perspective as well.

I have always thought that Australia was a safe and peaceful place for Jews until October 7, 2023. After that things changed. I nearly thought things were going to calm down again but a few days ago the Adass Shule was firebombed. This made me think of Germany in the 1930s and ever since that terrorist attack I have felt even more scared and betrayed that my fellow Australians would get to the point of actual genocidal activity.

I am also ashamed that Australia is voting for a terrorist group that burns babies over a peace-loving democratic country like Israel at the United Nations.

Lately, I have been nervous wearing my kippah and tzitzit and also my Jewish school uniform out in public. This is just not right because those things are fundamental in my heart and remind me every day of who I am. If you let the antisemitism continue then you are allowing young Jews like me to feel unsafe and afraid.

Prime Minister, when will you realise that antisemitism is a real, big problem in Australia and that there is basically no Islamophobia happening to Muslim kids? When will you realise that your recent votes in the UN are pushing us further away from peace? And finally, how can you tolerate the fact that kids like me are feeling scared and abandoned by a country that seems to hate them?

I am sending this letter to simply ask for Australia to go back to its old, peaceful self. But with every day that you do nothing, I worry that that will never happen.

I will always be a proud Australian but only if Australia accepts that I am also a proud Jew as well.

Please show our community that you are listening.

With respect,

Leo Fineberg