I was on the scene at the Garden of Eden nursery in Melbourne, where protesters gathered after co-owner Brett Dahan sent a shocking text message to a 24-year-old Israeli woman who’d simply applied for a job.

She’s been in Australia for less than a month and told media she was “shocked” when she received his reply. When I read the message myself, I couldn’t believe how brazen it was.

Dahan wrote that the job had gone to “someone with a semblance of humanity and who cares about plants, animals and the environment.” He then told her he hoped she’d leave Melbourne “soon,” and finished with: “Free Palestine and end genocide NOW. You’re complicit in IT.”

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This wasn’t some political debate, it was blatant discrimination against a random young woman purely because she’s Israeli. A small handful of anti-Israel activists tried to crash the party, defending the nursery owner, because they believe “Israel is committing a genocide.” When I asked how that justified abusing an innocent jobseeker, she replied, “Because she is Israeli.”

🔴 HATEFUL Nursery Told Israeli Girl to LEAVE MELBOURNE — We’re Outside https://t.co/XY2nNc2dsG https://t.co/WEHHrPiNWZ

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) November 3, 2025

I pushed them on their logic. If this thinking is acceptable, does that mean a Sudanese applicant should be rejected over atrocities in Sudan? One woman actually tried to maintain her consistency, saying it “will be okay” depending on where they’re from ... a level of casual racism that would be unthinkable in any other context.

What struck me most was the mental gymnastics. The same people who preach multiculturalism and tolerance suddenly had no problem telling a young woman to leave the city because of her nationality.

They’d never dare say it to a Sudanese or Russian applicant, yet when it comes to Jews or Israelis, somehow it becomes fair game.

Even when confronted directly, one woman insisted, “It’s not racist,” moments before accusing Jews of wielding a “victim card.” Another claimed Zionism is “a fascist ideology” but couldn’t even define the word.