Business owner reveals torrent of abuse and cancellations after feminist writer Clementine Ford published details of a pro-Jewish WhatsApp chat

A small business owner whose personal details were exposed during the ‘doxxing’ of hundreds of Jewish creatives involved in a private WhatsApp group said she fears for her family’s safety amid a flood of abusive messages .

The names of nearly 600 Jewish writers, artists, musicians and academics who were part of a private WhatsApp group created in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks have been leaked by high-profile pro-Palestinian activists, including the feminist author Clementine Ford who published a link to the list on Thursday.

So-called ‘doxxing’ – a term used to describe the publication of private or identifying information – has led to a wave of abuse against those on the list.

Daily Mail Australia spoke to a business owner identified in the leak who said the group was initially formed in response to a wave of anti-Semitism in Australia, prompted by the fallout from the war between Israel and Gaza.

But the business owner, who is not being named in this publication to protect her identity, said she left the group after just three days.

Despite this, her name and company were identified in Thursday’s leak and she has since received dozens of abusive messages.

“We received hoax calls, abusive emails and comments on our social media pages,” she said.

‘We had to delete our Instagram account and even decided to change the name of our company.

“Two customers have already canceled their bookings and demanded refunds. It will likely have a further impact on our customer base as no one wants to be associated with someone involved in controversy even if we have done nothing wrong.”

The business owner said she feared the abuse would escalate and was concerned about the physical safety of her two young children.

Another Jewish entrepreneur, Maggie May Moshe, shared it The age that her exposure as a member of the group had led to her being targeted.

She said her gift shop in the Melbourne suburb of Thornbury was defaced with anti-Israel stickers and graffiti, while her personal and business channels were flooded with abusive messages.

Her professional musician husband Joshua Moshe has been dumped because he is a long-time member.

As a result, the couple moves to an area of ​​Melbourne where more Jewish people live.

Victoria Police said they were investigating the alleged ‘doxxing’.

“Police are investigating following reports that the personal details of a number of people belonging to a private chat group on social media appear to have been released online,” a police spokesperson said.

The business owner reported the offensive messages to the police, but was told they could only take action if there was an actual threat of violence.

She said she cared as much about the Palestinians as the Israelis suffering in the ongoing conflict.

“The actions of the Israeli government have absolutely nothing to do with Jews living in Australia,” she added.

She also made a personal plea to Ms. Ford.

“Please stop… it’s really just a primitive attack on decent people who only want peace,” she added.

“Australia should be a place that promotes peace and equality among all its citizens, so please stop spreading hate.”

Ms Ford did not respond to the Daily Mail’s attempts to contact her for comment, but she has defended her actions in an Instagram post.

She accused “media players” of ignoring that “anti-Zionist Jewish people were involved in collecting this information in this link (and were also responsible for leaking it), not to mention the reasons why this information was leaked in the first place” .

The WhatsApp group provided “insight into the coordinated efforts to silence Palestinian activists and their allies,” Ms. Ford said.

“This is a group of ‘creatives’ committed to silencing voices calling for Palestinian liberation,” Ms. Ford wrote.

“Knowing that I will likely see some of these people at industry events is sickening – but not as sickening as knowing how many more colleagues I will encounter who have been silent about Palestine AND the people who seek to harm others as a result. ‘

Ms. Ford ended the post by stating that the group showed how “devilishly deep it goes.”

Alex Ryvchin, co-director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the WhatsApp group was formed when group members saw pro-Palestinian activists organizing boycotts and anti-Israel petitions in their industries.

“This was a way for community members to share information, support each other and protect their reputations and livelihoods, which was ruthlessly targeted,” he told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday.

‘Others were shocked by the normalization of anti-Semitism and wanted to do something about it together with colleagues. These WhatsApp groups became a refuge.”

Mr Ryvchin had ‘doxxed’ group members ingreat shock and disbelief that people are drawing up lists of Jews again.’

“I have been told by countless community members that they are relieved that their parents or grandparents who survived the Holocaust will not experience it again.

“Our community members who were motivated to speak out by the October 7 attacks and the historic levels of local anti-Semitism should be proud and we stand with them in unity and solidarity.

“We call on our fellow Australians to stand up to the intimidation and bullying, and when asked to fire or blacklist Australian Jews, to say: not in our time and not in our country. ‘