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Public outrage erupted after a young Israeli job seeker received a rejection message that civil rights activists condemned as “disgusting”, sparking protests outside an Australian plant nursery and prompting the business to publicly apologize for its co-owner’s alleged anti-Semitic comments.
A 24-year-old Jewish woman, who wished to remain anonymous, received a rejection message after applying for a job at The Garden of Eden nursery in Melbourne’s Albert Park, the Herald Sun reported on Saturday.
Brett DeHaan allegedly told the woman the position was filled by “someone with a sense of humanity” and that she should leave the country – just weeks after she moved to Australia.
“Unfortunately, this position has been filled by a person who has a shred of humanity and who cares about plants, animals and the environment. Good luck on your journey and I hope you leave Melbourne soon! Free Palestine and end the genocide now. You are complicit in this,” the text said.
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Garden of Eden Nursery in Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Google Maps)
The woman, who was expecting a warm welcome following her move, said she was “shocked and deeply disappointed” by the hostility of the reaction, the Herald Sun reports.
She said, “I came to Australia thinking it was a fair and welcoming country, but to read those words – filled with so much hostility – was heartbreaking.” “I was judged not as a person, but as an Israeli.”
In a phone call with the Herald Sun, Dahan said he “didn’t know” why he had sent the message. The local outlet said he repeatedly failed to answer any follow-up questions.
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Melbourne skyline in Australia. (Chris Putnam/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The incident has sparked widespread reaction in the Jewish community, with protesters gathering outside the nursery, news.com.au reports.
According to Australia’s Equal Opportunities Act, it is illegal to discriminate against a job applicant based on their nationality.
The nursery, operated by twin brothers Brett and Scott DeHaan, later issued a statement apologizing to the Jewish community and expressing regret over the message sent “by a staff member,” in a statement shared by the company on Sunday.
“Garden of Eden Nursery would like to express regret in relation to the recent message sent by a staff member to a member of the public and offer its sincerest apologies to the community,” the company said. The company said the matter was being addressed internally.
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Aerial view of Melbourne, Australia. (iStock)
The company further said, “We are extremely disturbed and disappointed by the content of the message, which in no way reflects the values, standards or spirit of our business or team.”
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Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the country’s anti-defamation commission, criticized the apology on Sunday, saying true accountability would require shutting down the business.
“Mr. Dahan’s hostile message was not a mistake. It was a deliberate act written to humiliate and demean,” Abramovich said in a statement on social media. “Apologizing to the community, blaming ‘a staff member,’ and saying it will be handled ‘internally’ is not accountability.”
Abramovich stressed that the woman was entitled to a direct and personal apology from Dahan.
Garden of Eden Nursery did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
