Australian Jewish Boy Forced To Kiss Muslim Classmate’s Shoes Received Threats
The image of the student kissing his classmate’s shoe went viral. Image by Twitter
(JTA) — The Jewish boy who was forced to kneel and kiss the shoes of a Muslim classmate has been sent threatening text messages.
The messages were sent Friday after photos of the incident were splashed across the front pages of newspapers in Australia and around the world, the Daily Mail reported. The photo was first published by the Australian Jewish News.
The messages told the 12-year-old boy that he would be slaughtered and asked if he wanted to “talk about suicide,” according to the report.
Victoria Police confirmed to the Daily Mail Australia that they were investigating a report of such text messages but would not comment further.
Dvir Abramovich, chairman of B’nai B’rith’s Anti-Defamation Commission, called the threats “vile and deplorable.” He said the boy’s parents now want a broader inquiry into anti-Semitism in schools.
Abramovich has helped the family to relocate the boy from Cheltenham Secondary College in suburban Melbourne to a Jewish school.
The incident did not take place on the school’s campus. Reports said a group of older students threatened the boy with violence if he did not comply.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
