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A patient in his 90s refused treatment because he was an “old Nazi” and did not want a Jew to touch him.
By Shula Rosen
A Jewish paramedic in Australia testified Monday before a royal commission investigating antisemitism, describing a series of threats and assaults he said he experienced, including a violent threat from a firefighter at a music festival in Victoria.
Joshua Gomperts, speaking at Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism on Monday, said that during a New Year’s Eve event, a firefighter told him: “I would skin you the way my family skinned yours in the camps.”
According to ABC Australia, police officers at the scene heard the remarks and responded immediately, and the firefighter’s supervisors later arrived and replaced the firefighting team at the festival.
Gomperts recounted additional incidents during his testimony, including being struck with a glass bottle for wearing a kippah.
He also described a situation involving a patient in his 90s who refused treatment because he was an “old Nazi” and did not want a Jew to touch him.
He further described an episode at a university in which he was initially denied a request to postpone an exam scheduled on a Jewish holiday.
Gomperts said other students had been granted postponements for personal reasons and that the decision was reversed only after he obtained legal counsel.
Australia’s Royal Commission into antisemitism has heard accounts describing increased threats, harassment, and fear within Jewish communities, including reports of violence, intimidation, and the use of Nazi imagery in various settings, including at schools.
The hearings are linked to the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack and are examining the scope and broader impact of antisemitism in Australia.
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