Should We Boo the PM?

Answer

Your mixed feelings are understandable. And the Torah has room for them.

What happened at Bondi hurt us deeply. Lives were taken. A sense of safety was shattered. The Jewish community was left grieving, frightened, and angry. In moments like that, emotions spill over. Pain looks for an outlet, and for some it comes out as public anger.

The jeering did not come from pettiness. It came from a sense of betrayal. Many feel that antisemitism has not been taken seriously enough, and that leadership was slow or insufficient in responding. In that context, the booing is understandable.

But understandable does not always mean advisable. The Torah offers another approach.

When G-d sent Moses to confront Pharaoh, a sworn enemy of the Jewish people, Moses was commanded to speak with respect. No one could accuse Moses of agreeing with Pharaoh, who enslaved the Jews and murdered their children. Yet Moses was instructed to address him with the dignity due to a head of state.

Why? Because honouring a position is not the same as agreeing with the person who holds it. At the end of the day, change requires engagement. That means carefully balancing protest with persuasion.

We do not need to give the Prime Minister a standing ovation. We do not need to applaud policies we believe are wrong. But we don't need to boo either. It may release anger, but it rarely strengthens our moral authority or advances the causes we care about.

The pain we feel is real and justified. Accountability still matters. But now is the time to respond differently. With clarity instead of contempt. With strength instead of spite.

If Moses was polite to Pharaoh, we can be polite to Albo.