Antisemitism in Australia
Real antisemitism harms Jews. Political misuse of antisemitism claims harms justice.
Antisemitism is real and Jewish people deserve safety. But genuine concerns are being manipulated by the right wing pro-Israel lobby to silence criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and annexation of the West Bank. This harms everyone: it diminishes real antisemitism and stifles pro-Palestinian advocacy.
Scroll down to see some recent articles, posts and media releases that cover antisemitism in Australia.
Antony Loewenstein quoted by NBC about the government’s response to the Bondi attack
Advisory Committee member Antony Loewenstein was recently quoted by NBC for a story titled “‘It’ll never be the same again’: Bondi Beach attack shatters life for Australia’s Jewish residents”. Below is an excerpt from his comments in the story. I think [the laws are] an absolute abomination. They are rushed, not thought through, and they’re…
Ohad Kozminsky speaks to Canberra Times about the proposed laws in response to the Bondi massacre
Executive member Ohad Kozminsky recently spoke to Canberra Times for a story titled “Canberra’s pro-Palestine Jews want freedom of speech protected in new laws”. Below is an excerpt from his comments in the story. It is not a contradiction to be horrified by the massacre of Bondi and to be entirely against it and at…
Green Left covers Jewish Council Chanukah vigil
Green Left recently published a story about the Jewish Council-hosted Chanukah vigil titled “Naarm community unites for Chanukah vigil”. Below is an excerpt from the start of the story. More than 300 people gathered for a Chanukah vigil called by the Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) in Naarm/Melbourne on December 21 to commemorate the lives…
Dr Naama Blatman quoted in SBS and The Guardian about Minns’ protest ban
Executive Member Dr Naama Blatman was recently quoted by SBS and the Guardian. Below is an excerpt from her comments: We call on the Minns government and members of the NSW parliament not to politicise our grief and not to capitalise on our tragedy, not to pass laws that stifle our freedoms and punish us…
Sarah Schwartz speaks at the Bondi massacre community vigil
Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz spoke at the interfaith and intercommunity vigil on Sunday night to mourn the victims of the Bondi massacre. Below is an excerpt from her speech. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jewish Council of Australia (@jewishcouncil) Click here to watch the excerpt on Instagram.
Join the call for unity and sign our petition: We will not be divided after Bondi
Last night should have been a Chanukah celebration. Instead, hundreds of us gathered in Melbourne to mourn and say kaddish for our community members murdered at Bondi a week ago. After a week of sleepless nights, circling the same grief, I’ve been wondering how our community finds its way back after an act of such…
Mas Kaiser quoted by SBS about the rise of the far right in Australia
Executive Officer Max Kaiser was recently quoted in an SBS story titled “From fringe to frontline: How Australia’s far right gained mainstream attention in 2025”. Below is an excerpt from his comments in the story. The hate these fascists feel for Jews is the same hate they show for First Nations Australians, Muslims, queer people…
Max Kaiser speaks to The Guardian about NSW Labor’s response to the Bondi attack
Executive Officer Max Kaiser recently spoke to The Guardian for an article titled “‘Protests had nothing to do with the attacks’: activists condemn premier’s plan to restrict rallies after Bondi shooting”. An excerpt from his quoted comments is below: It’s disturbing that the media and politicians are maligning this movement when there exists very real…
Max Kaiser speaks to BBC about Albanese’s response to the Bondi attack
Executive Officer Max Kaiser recently spoke to BBC for a story titled “Australian PM announces crackdown on hate speech after Bondi shooting”. Below is an excerpt from his comments in the story. If education initiatives like university scorecards become a form of ideological policing […] they will only make Jews less safe, and do the…
Max Kaiser speaks to Deepcut News about the response to the Bondi attack
Executive Officer Max Kaiser recently spoke to Deepcut news for an article titled “Jewish Council urges ‘pushback’ against divisive rhetoric after Bondi attack”. An excerpt from his comments is below: It’s clear we are all hurting and all see the great danger of this moment. The worst thing that could happen now would be responses…
Media Release: Unity, safety and prevention — not fulfilling divisive pro-Israel wishlist — must guide the Government’s response to Bondi attack
In the wake of the horrific antisemitic attack in Bondi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today made a series of announcements in regard to combatting antisemitism and stated that the Government would enact the Antisemitism envoy’s divisive and controversial plan. This is a week of profound grief for Jewish people and the entire nation. We mourn…
Sarah Schwartz appears on Jewish Currents podcast: Processing the Attack at Bondi Beach
Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz recently appeared on the “On The Nose” podcast by Jewish Currents episode titled “Processing the Attack at Bondi Beach”. Below is a description of the episode from the show-notes: On this episode of On the Nose, Jewish Currents editor-in-chief Arielle Angel and senior editor Mari Cohen spoke with Sarah Schwartz, the…
