Lest we forget apparently only applies to sentimentality and calling out mini-Hitlers on a regular basis, regardless of context, it seems.
A Jewish community in Bondi Beach, near Sydney, Australia, has been told it cannot begin construction of a new synagogue because the building would be a target for Islamic terror, and therefore unsafe for the community.
The council contended that “the site is not suitable for the proposed synagogue use as the Preliminary Threat and Risk Analysis relied on by the Applicant raises concerns as to the safety and security of future users of the Synagogue, nearby residents, motorists and pedestrians in Wellington Street,” and yesterday’s court decision (Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe v. Waverley Council) agreed that there was a sufficient “factual basis” for the council’s position. And once such a threat “to users and the community” was shown, then “the guidelines can be used to justify modification of the development to minimise crime risk, or, refusal of the development on the grounds that crime risk cannot be appropriately minimised.”
Got that? The Jewish community that wants to build the synagogue is not the problem. The problem is that Australia ostensibly has such a little handle on Islamic extremism in their country that the mere existence of a Jewish synagogue is a health hazard to everyone around it.
What year is this?
Western countries are once again driving out Jewish communities to appease a group intent on their demise. Sounds familiar.
As Eugene Volokh said in The Washington Post, this is, in essence, the “bomber’s veto.” A derivative of the heckler’s veto, which means that if one person disagrees then all free speech rights are suspended. The Jewish community of Bondi has literally been barred from building a place of worship because others might decide it is worthy of attack.
So here we are. 2017 and we, Western countries, are once again turning our backs on Jewish congregations.
What if the local government decided instead to rally behind a group they know is targeted? The local government has now shown the terrorists that they have the power of fear and the Jews once again face the reality of being on their own.
Lest we forget. What a joke ‘we’ are.
