It was September 2015 when Victoria’s largest Jewish school became the state’s first to enlist armed guards, stationed at the entrance gates of Mount Scopus Memorial College’s three Melbourne campuses.
At the time, Principal Rabbi James Kennard said the decision to bolster the school’s security arrangements had not been motivated by any specific threat, but, he said, were “following the example of Jewish colleges and institutions in Sydney who have acted in this way for over twenty years”.
“Our foremost priority remains the safety of our students and staff,” Rabbi Kennard told media at the time.
Increased security presence
This week, in the wake of the shocking attacks by Hamas terrorists in Israel, that style of security presence that has become such a familiar sight at Jewish schools across Australia (and around the world) has now been ramped up even more intensively.
The move came as CSG (Community Security Group) Victoria raised the national threat level to ‘severe’ and committed to boost its presence at schools across the state.
Of the approximately 100,000 Jewish people living in Australia, an estimated 90 per cent live in Melbourne and Sydney metropolitan areas, with Melbourne’s population concentrated across just three of the state’s 79 local government areas (LGAs).
On Wednesday 11 October CSG released a statement “calling for calm” after what it described was a “heightened level of fear and anxiety”.
“We know that with every escalation in Israel, there is an inevitable and parallel increase in antisemitism,” the group’s statement said.
“This has been anticipated. We are prepared and are dealing with every incident. You will see increased CSG and Victoria Police presence in the community. Do not be alarmed, this is routine and to ensure our safety and security.”
A need to reduce community fear
Security guards who work within the Jewish school sector in some of Melbourne’s leading Jewish schools have told media of “high-level” security briefings in the days since news of the weekend’s attacks broke, with one guard reporting a ramping up of both security and intelligence operations.
“Our priority is to make sure students are safe and feel safe,” the guard said.
A previous statement released by CSG on Tuesday aimed to reassure the local community by saying “CSG is increasing its physical presence and has staff and volunteers working around the clock, behind the scenes to secure the community”.
“CSG has been in contact with Victoria Police since the escalations in Israel and will continue to maintain close contact with police to ensure the safety of our community,” the organisation’s statement said.
“We urge the community to be extra vigilant and to report any antisemitism or suspicious activity including individuals and vehicles to CSG’s 24-Hour Control Centre on 1300 000 274.”