MELBOURNE – An Australian woman verbally abused a rabbi and his two young children on a Melbourne tram, telling them to “go to the gas chambers,” in an incident that has triggered widespread condemnation from Jewish organizations and political leaders, reminding us of the persistence of Holocaust-related hate speech in public spaces.
The incident, which occurred in Melbourne and was captured on video that later circulated on social media, involved a rabbi traveling with his children, aged eight and 14, according to individuals familiar with the case. The woman was reportedly carrying a bag displaying a Palestinian flag at the time of the confrontation.
In the video, the woman can be seen covering her face while shouting at the family. She later claimed that the rabbi and his children were “picking on her,” an assertion that has been rejected by Jewish community representatives who reviewed the footage and spoke with those involved.
Jewish leaders described the remarks as an explicit invocation of Nazi genocide and among the most extreme forms of antisemitic abuse.
“Telling Jewish children to go to the gas chambers is not political speech. It is genocidal hatred,” a spokesperson for an Australian Jewish advocacy organization said in a public statement following the incident. “This language has one meaning, and it is rooted in the Holocaust.”
The phrase “gas chambers” is a direct reference to the Nazi extermination camps where six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Experts on antisemitism note that such language meets internationally recognized definitions of antisemitic incitement, including those outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Victoria Police have confirmed they are aware of the video and are assessing the incident. Australian media outlets reported that authorities are reviewing whether the conduct meets the threshold for charges under state laws governing hate speech and public disorder. As of publication, no charges have been publicly announced.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the incident reflects a broader pattern observed since the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were murdered and hundreds taken hostage. Since that attack, Jewish communities across Australia, the United States, Canada, and Europe have reported a surge in verbal harassment, vandalism, and physical assaults.
“What we are seeing is not criticism of Israeli policy,” the council said in a statement. “It is the normalization of antisemitism, often justified through slogans or symbols associated with the Palestinian cause.”
Academic experts on extremism have warned that some activists increasingly blur the line between political advocacy and ethnic hatred. Dr. Suzanne Rutland, an Australian historian who studies antisemitism, has previously noted that Holocaust references are being used with growing frequency in street-level harassment of Jews.
“When Nazi imagery and language are directed at Jewish individuals, particularly children, it is not protest. It is hate speech,” Rutland said in a past interview with Australian media.
Footage from the tram incident shows the woman concealing her face after realizing she was being filmed, a detail community leaders say underscores awareness of wrongdoing. The rabbi did not respond verbally in the video, and the children remained seated throughout the exchange.
“You should all go to the gas chambers.”
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) December 13, 2025
An Australian woman verbally assaulted a rabbi and his two children, aged 8 and 14, on a Melbourne tram, telling them to go to the gas chambers.
The woman, who was carrying a bag with a Palestinian flag, later hid her face in the video… pic.twitter.com/VvcVdMd33X
Australian Transport authorities have reiterated that antisemitic abuse violates passenger conduct rules and that public transit is meant to be safe for all riders regardless of religion or ethnicity.
Similar incidents have been documented in recent months on public transportation systems in Sydney, Toronto, London, and New York, according to data compiled by Jewish monitoring groups. Many of these incidents involve explicit Holocaust references or accusations directed at visibly Jewish individuals.
Jewish leaders say the use of Palestinian symbols in such attacks does not represent legitimate advocacy for Palestinians and instead exploits the conflict to legitimize hatred against Jews worldwide.
“Antisemitism dressed up as activism is still antisemitism,” the advocacy group added. “When a Palestinian flag is used as cover for telling Jewish children to die like Holocaust victims, the moral line has already been crossed.”
Community organizations are urging authorities to act swiftly and consistently to deter similar incidents and restore confidence in public safety.
