Public outrage erupted after a young Israeli job seeker received a rejection message that civil rights activists condemned as “abhorrent.” This sparked a protest outside an Australian plant nursery and prompted the company to publicly apologize for the co-owner’s alleged anti-Semitic comments.
A 24-year-old Jewish woman, who wished to remain anonymous, received the rejection text after applying for a job at The Garden of Eden Nursery in Melbourne’s Albert Park, the Herald Sun reported on Saturday.
Brett Dahan allegedly told the woman the position had been filled by “someone with a semblance of humanity” and that she had to leave the country – just weeks after moving to Australia.
“Unfortunately the position has been filled by someone with a semblance of humanity and who cares for plants, animals and the environment. Good luck on your journey and I hope you leave Melbourne soon! Liberate Palestine and end the genocide NOW. You are complicit in IT,” the text read.
IRAN’S PROXY WAR AGAINST JEWS IS A TOTAL ATTACK ON WESTERN CIVILIZATION. AUSTRALIA GETS IT
The Garden of Eden Nursery in Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Google Maps)
After expecting a warm welcome after her move, the woman said she was “shocked and deeply disappointed” by the hostility of the response, the Herald Sun reported.
“I came to Australia believing it was a fair and welcoming country, but reading those words – so full of hostility – was heartbreaking,” she said. “I was judged, not as a person, but as an Israeli.”
In a telephone conversation with the Herald Sun, Dahan said he “didn’t know” why he sent the message. The local outlet added that he repeatedly did not answer follow-up questions.
ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST CONFONTONTONTES FORMER IDF SOLDIER ON NEW YORK BEACH, IS TAKEN IN RETURN
The skyline of Melbourne in Australia. (Chris Putnam/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The incident has sparked widespread reaction from the Jewish community, with protesters gathering outside the daycare center. news.com.au reported.
Under Australia’s Equal Opportunity Act, discriminating against an applicant based on their nationality is illegal.
In a statement shared by the company on Sunday, the nursery, run by twin brothers Brett and Scott Dahan, later issued a statement apologizing to the Jewish community and expressing regret over the message sent “by an employee.”
“The Garden of Eden Nursery would like to express its regret and sincere apologies to the community regarding the recent message sent by an employee to a member of the public,” the company said, adding that the matter is being addressed internally.
NETANYAHU SLAMS AUSTRALIA’S PM, SAYS HE BETRAYED ISRAEL AND LEFT AUSTRALIA’S JEWS
Aerial view of Melbourne, Australia. (iStock)
“We are deeply upset and disappointed by the content of the message, which in no way reflects the values, standards or spirit of our company or team,” the company continued.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The chairman of the country’s anti-defamation commission, Dr. Dvir Abramovich, criticized the apology on Sunday, saying that real responsibility would be to close the company.
“Mr. Dahan’s disgusting text was not a mistake. It was a deliberate, written act intended to humiliate and degrade,” Abramovich said in a statement on social media. “Apologizing ‘to the community’, blaming ‘a staff member’ and saying it will be dealt with ‘internally’ is not accountability.”
Abramovich emphasized that the woman deserves a direct and personal apology from Dahan.
