Gottlieb’s: Malvern East business founded by Holocaust survivor targeted in latest anti-Semitic attack

A Jewish leader says the Government has allowed anti-Semitism “out of the box,” and now has a “pretty difficult” task ahead of addressing it, following another vile graffiti attack.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler’s spoke out after the words “Gas the Jews” were sprayed across an Australian family business whose founders survived the Holocaust.

Gottlieb’s Building Supplies in Melbourne’s Malvern East was founded in 1965 and was a successful stalwart of the Melbourne building industry until its recent closure in 2024.

The business was family owned and operated by four generations, serving Melbourne for nearly 60 years.

Now, its Dandenong Road building, still adorned with signage, stands as the latest target of hateful anti-Semitic attacks in Australia.

“Gas the Jews” and a nazi swastika were sprayed on a fence of the business site.

“It is believed that the roller door of a business on Dandenong Road was offensively graffitied sometime during 15 and 16 February,” a Victoria Police spokesperson told The Nightly.

Addressing not just this incident, but the continued prominence of recent attacks on the Jewish community in Australia, Victoria Police said: “There is absolutely no place at all in our society for anti-Semitic or hate-based symbols and behaviour.”

Mr Leibler said the family are glad the Holocaust surviving founders were not alive today to see the hateful anti-Semitic attack on the business they created.

“Mr Gottlieb knew every plumber by name, everything was done by handshake,” he said. “What his grandchildren said to me when they told me (about the attack) was that were thankful they were not alive to see this, as it looks completely foreign from the Australia they knew.”

Mr Leibler, who grew up with the Gottliebs after attending school with a family member, said “they were so grateful for the opportunity Australia had given them and their family to rebuild after they pretty much lost their entire family in the Holocaust.”

“They were so integrated with society, they loved footy and a barbecue,” he recalled. “I think they would be shattered to see what happened today.”

Mr Leibler said the Australian way of life is at risk from the rise in anti-Semitic attacks, regardless of whether people are Jewish or not, adding the Government had allowed anti-Semitism to be “let out of the box”.

“Something we know from history is that anti-Semitism exists under the surface,” he said. “It is everywhere.”

“When it’s out of its box, and it is allowed to come out, it is much harder to put back in.

“That is what we are experiencing right now. It was not taken seriously enough at the beginning or called out.”

He said he believed both political parties were genuine about their desire to address this rise in anti-Semitism, which is “really becoming a mainstream law and order issue”.

“I mean, whether or not it is directed at Jews, waking up to an early learning centre being attacked… this goes to the heart of the Australian way of life,” Mr Leibler said.

“I have been pretty clear in my view that the Government failed to act soon enough. I still think they have failed to draw the link between the incitement that we’re still seeing around the place and these acts. Until they start to address that, it is going to be pretty difficult.”

Mr Leibler said “for the Jewish community it does not feel like things are getting better,” also mentioning the disgusting anti-Semitic comments of two NSW nurses that came to light last week.

He labelled the support the nurses received on Monday from Muslim bodies and radical groups “deranged”.

“If we ever needed evidence that we have a problem here, it is this,” Mr Leibler said.

“I don’t think it will get better until there is a fundamental shift in the willingness of our leaders, not just government, across to the board, to take strong leadership.”

A year ago, Mr Leibler thought there was a problem with incitement in Australia, but believed the country was a peaceful society without divisions often seen in Europe and the United States. Now, he fears something worse could occur unless action is taken.

“For the Jewish community, it feels like an inevitability unless there is some major intervention,” he said.

“I think the police are taking these things seriously. The Jewish community are fearful that an attack that has been foiled or didn’t materialise will materialise.

“At the same time, the community overall is standing very strong. We are not going to be victims. We’ve done that. It didn’t work out for us in the 1930s and 1940s and we are not prepared to do so. Not here, not in Israel.

“As famous Israeli politicians have said, ‘I would rather be alive and hated than dead and pitied’.”

Anyone with information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au