Words. Just Words.

The Synagogue fire lasted longer than the PM’s visit. Actually, so did the PM’s tennis match.

But at least Anthony Albanese managed to visit the scene of the terrorist attack on the Ripponlea Synagogue. Fleeting though his visit was.

Albo met privately with Jewish leaders, made the briefest of public statements, and then left without answer any questions.

The PM said Australia stood with the Adass community whose synagogue was destroyed.

It took him five days to find time in his schedule to stand with the Adass community, so …

“This arson attack is an act of terrorism that was fuelled by anti-Semitism, stoked by hatred,” Mr Albanese said after inspecting the destroyed interior of the synagogue.

And what stoked the hatred Mr Albanese?

A foreign policy that demonises Israel for going after terrorists who are holding their women and children hostage?

A police force that will not, or cannot, deal with constant incitement to violence against Australian Jews?

The PM continued …

“We’re a country that needs to come together and unite.”

I dare say the next election will give us all a chance to do that.

It’s a strange thing to say when, at the very same time, Albo’s foreign minister was classifying Benjamin Netanyahu alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

It’s a strange thing to say when, as the PM visits (belatedly) the site of a terror attack against Jews, his industry minister Ed Husic was crying about Islamophobia.

Way to come together and unite.

But forgive me. I’m interrupting …

“One of the things that we spoke about inside with the community leaders was the fact that people have come to Australia because we are a country that is peaceful.

It’s true that people once came to Australia because we were a peaceful country.

But is that still the case?

Jews around the world no longer believe that.

Today the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center - which is a global leader in Holocaust research and famous for hunting down Nazi war criminals - issued a travel advisory warning for Australia.

The Centre has requested a meeting with Australia’s Ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, to outline their concerns over recent “patterns of violence against Jews” in this country.

The PM continued …

We are a country that respects people of different faiths and are enriched by our diversity here.”

How’s that diversity enrichment going?

On Sunday we had Muslims out on the streets of Sydney chanting that Muhammad’s army was coming after the Jews.

Not terrible “enriching”.

Words.

Words.

Just words.

No doubt we will be gifted more words from on high when the next anti-Semitic attack - of sufficient gravity to warrant the PM’s attention - takes place.

Today’s performance - and it was most definitely that - was an insight into what a weak man looks like.

Albanese is afraid to make decision because his numbers are crashing.

Desperately afraid of upsetting voters he is careful to empathise with the Jewish community, but not too much, lest he upset other communities whose votes he needs.

So we are left with words.

But words won’t protect Australia’s Jews. And nor will words protect Albanese at the ballot box.