IT is difficult to imagine a more callous act than desecrating the memory of those who have died. Anyone who has lost a friend or loved one is aware of how the vestiges of their time with us are imbued with extra significance for those of us who strive to preserve their memory in our own hearts and minds, as well as the wider world.
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Yet while imagination may strain, the use of Nazi iconography in alleged vandalism at Maitland's Jewish cemetery has taken an already heartless act to a new nadir.
While the specific details of the incident remain under investigation, police described the incident as a suspected hate crime on Friday as they appealed for public help to determine how it occurred.
That designation is not one assigned lightly. NSW Police recently launched a campaign aimed to fight them, a responsibility that fell Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command's Engagement and Hate Crime Unit. Authorities do not take it lightly, and with good reason.
"We know there is a significant disparity between the number of hate crimes that occur and the number reported to police, with research telling us that less than 25 per cent of victims come forward," NSW Police Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Commander, Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton said in January.
"It is important for the community to report hate crimes and incidents, not only so victims can be supported and provided assistance, but also so there's a clearer picture of what's happening in our state, and importantly, prevent future crimes and disrupt escalating behaviours.
"NSW is a diverse collection of communities, and we all need to make it clear that we do not tolerate or accept crimes or incidents based on bias or hate."
The same can be said of the Hunter. In the wake of 2019's horrific Christchurch mosque shootings, flowers inundated this region's Muslim community as a show of solidarity across any faith divides. This region is not one riven by hatred.
Newcastle's Rabbi Yossi Rodal said he would be happy to speak directly to those responsible for Maitland markings, whether they be naive youth, hard-line believers with bigoted views or motivated by some other reason. That generosity of spirit is admirable. Let us hope that the largesse of Rabbi Rodal and his community - or that of any other group in the Hunter - is not required to extend so far again any time soon.
