|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A customer hurled antisemitic abuse at a Jewish shoemaker after he sought payment for repaired shoes in Melbourne’s Brighton suburb on October 16, according to his account to Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC).
The man, identified only as Dmitry, told its chairman, Dr. Dvir Abramovich, that woman arrived at his shop for two pairs of footwear he had fixed, including designer boots. After checking the work and finding no fault, she put them in her bag and would not hand over the agreed $100.
Dmitry said he followed her to another store and asked for payment, but she told him she would not pay a “filthy stinky Jew.” She later followed him in the direction of the shopping center and shouted in Russian and Ukrainian, “Go, Jew, to your f***ing Sara!”
According to Dmitry, the plaza’s security guard warned the woman he would call police unless she paid. She first laughed at the guard. Then she threw $50 at Dmitry and declared, “This $50 is for your grave, you f***ing Jew.” She added a second note and said, “One more for your funeral.” She labeled him a “filthy Jew” again and left with a receipt.
“This was never simply about a $100 shoe repair,” Dmitry said. “It was about being told that I was not worthy of payment because I was Jewish.”
“Talk of a Jew’s grave and a Jew’s funeral is the language of violence,” Dr. Abramovich said. “It tells a man that somebody has pictured him dead and enjoyed the picture.”
The commission has referred the case to police, and Dr. Abramovich urged Victoria Police to identify the woman and lay charges. “If these allegations are proven, she should pay for her hatred in a courtroom instead,” he said.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It, a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent. Download it today on the Apple App Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it.
