The twin brother co-owners of a Melbourne plant nursery seem at odds after one sent an ‘anti-Semitic’ job rejection message.
An Israeli woman, 24, shared the text she allegedly received from Brett Dahan after applying to work at The Garden of Eden Nursery in Albert Park, in the city’s south.
The unidentified Jewish woman only travelled to Australia less than a month ago and hoped she would find acceptance in the famously multicultural city.
However, her hopes were quickly dashed when she received the bizarrely agressive job rejection message, allegedly from Dahan.
‘Unfortunately, the position has been filled by someone with an (sic) semblance of humanity and who cares for plants, animals, and the environment,’ he wrote.
‘Good luck on your journey and I hope you leave Melbourne soon!
‘Free Palestine and end genocide now.
‘You’re complicit in it.’
Brett Dahan (pictured), a co-owner of Melbourne’s Garden of Eden Nursery, is accused of sending an Israeli woman an anti-Semitic job rejection message
The Israeli woman shared the message (pictured) Dahan allegedly sent, which accuses her of being complicit in ‘genocide’
The message circulated online over the weekend and the incident was picked up by the Australian Jewish Association who labelled it an ‘ugly attack’.
‘This hatred must face consequences,’ it said.
‘If they had targeted a black person or a gay person, there would be protests outside the store.
‘If the Jewish community doesn’t stand up to this hatred, it will only grow.’
The nursery responded to the backlash on social media on Monday in a message that appeared to be written by Brett’s twin brother and business partner, Scott Dahan.
‘The Garden of Eden Nursery would like to express its regret and extend it’s sincere apologies to the community in regards to the recent message sent to a member of the public by a staff member,’ the statement read.
‘The message was sent via a personal account and we were unaware of it until it became public.
‘We are deeply upset and disappointed by the content of the message, which in no way reflects the values, standards, or spirit of our business or team.’
A Jewish lawyer was shocked to learn Brett had put his allegedly discriminatory views in writing on behalf of the nursery (pictured)
The nursery also reassured customers it was taking the incident ‘very seriously’ and ‘addressing it internally’.
‘Our commitment has always been to foster a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environment for our customers, staff, and all communities,’ it said.
‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out, we value your continued support and understanding as we work to ensure this does not happen again.’
However, Brett Dahan hit back after being called ‘anti-Semitic’ and ‘racist’ by commenters.
A social media page appearing to belong to him shared several posts referencing the controversy, including a link to the Wikipedia page on conversion to Judaism, Hebrew translations of biblical text, and the Jewish Council of Australia’s donation website.
He has also shared several news articles related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The Israeli woman said she felt ‘shocked and deeply disappointed’ by the hate-filled message, the Herald Sun reported.
‘I came to Australia believing it was a fair and welcoming country but reading those words, so full of hostility, was heartbreaking,’ she said.
‘I was judged, not as a person, but as an Israeli.’
It is illegal for employers to discriminate against a job applicant based on their nationality under Australia’s Equal Opportunity Act.
Jewish lawyer David Goldberg was shocked Dahan was ’emboldened enough’ to put his allegedly discriminatory views in writing.
‘How can any Jewish person feel safe in Victoria if you can’t even apply for a job?’ he said.
Daily Mail has contacted The Garden of Eden Nursery and Brett Dahan for comment.