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.
MEDIA ALERT: Jewish Council executives to make submission toNSW antisemitism inquiry
What:The Jewish Council of Australia will make a submission to the first hearing of the NSW Legislative Council’s Portfolio Committee No. 5 inquiry into antisemitism in New South Wales. The hearing will receive submissions from groups and individuals relating to the prevalence of antisemitic incidents in New South Wales, antisemitism on university campuses, and the…
Na’ama Carlin on The Wire discussing Australian universities’ adoption of a working definition of antisemitism
Executive Member Dr Na’ama Carlin recently spoke to The Wire for a story titled Definition of antisemitism in universities a concern. Click here to listen to the segment.
Sarah Schwartz speaks to The Guardian about the Coalition’s proposal to include antisemitism questions in Australia’s citizenship test
I think Peter Dutton and the Coalition are clearly trying to use the Jewish community and very real fears about rises in antisemitism to push their own anti-immigrant agenda. Click here to read the full piece.
Max Kaiser speaks to Muslim Votes Matter about antisemitism and the Australian Jewish community
Max Kaiser recently spoke to to Muslim Votes Matter about antisemitism and the Australian Jewish community. Click here to watch the interview on YouTube or use the video player below:
Police confirmation of ‘fabricated terrorism plot’ shows the need to stop exploiting antisemitism
Yesterday, the Australian Federal Police confirmed that the incident in January in which a caravan was found with explosives was part of a ‘fabricated terrorism plot’ orchestrated by organised crime. This comes as other antisemitic incidents have also been linked to organised crime and foreign actors. These incidents have caused fear and panic amongst many in the Jewish community…
Jewish Council’s criticism of Australian universities’ new antisemitism definition covered by The Guardian, Asia Pacific Report and Pearls & Irritations
Sarah Schwartz recently spoke to a range of publications about Australian universities’ new antisemitism definition. An excerpt of Sarah’s comments that were quoted in the Guardian: “This definition risks increasing antisemitism by suggesting that all Jews support the state of Israel, and can be held responsible for Israel’s egregious human rights abuses.” Use the links…
Jewish Council of Australia slams universities’ adoption of dangerous, politicised and unworkable antisemitism definition
[Image credit] Today, Australia’s 39 universities endorsed a dangerous and politicised definition of antisemitism which threatens academic freedom, will have a chilling effect on legitimate criticism of Israel, and risks institutionalising anti-Palestinian racism. They did so without meaningful consultation with Palestinian groups or diverse Jewish groups who are critical of Israel. The Jewish Council of Australia strongly…
Max Kaiser speaks to AFR about the antisemitism investigation of Cairo Takeaway
Max Kaiser recently spoke to AFR (Australian Financial Review) for an article titled “Legal threat after ‘antisemitism investigation’ goes wrong.” An excerpt from Max’s comments quoted in the article: “There is enough real antisemitism out there in the world today. Confecting incidents like this … is horrible.” Click here to read the full piece (requires…
Jewish Council opposes Parliamentary Inquiry recommendation to adopt controversial definition of antisemitism
[Image credit] The Jewish Council is deeply concerned with many of the recommendations released yesterday by the Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities. While increasing rates of antisemitism are of serious concern, this series of inquiries has been overtly politicised. The Jewish Council is strongly opposed to the recommendation for universities to adopt a…
Max Kaiser appears on SBS’s Weekend One On One podcast about allegations of antisemitism against Elon Musk
Max Kaiser recently appeared on SBS’s Weekend One On One podcast about antisemitism and far-right extremists. From SBS’s description of this podcast episode: “Amid a rise in antisemitic incident around the world, a wave of scrutiny has fallen at the feet of a somewhat unlikely target – the richest man in the world – Elon…
Sarah Schwartz speaks to AFR about antisemitism in Australia
Sarah Schwartz recently spoke to Australian Financial Review for a piece titled ‘We must rescue our society’: PM urged to lead on antisemitism. Click here to read the piece (requires AFR subscription).
Sarah Schwartz’s piece in Crikey: “Selective reporting on Amsterdam attacks perpetuates anti-Palestine racism and antisemitism”
Sarah Schwartz has recently had a piece published in Crikey titled “Selective reporting on Amsterdam attacks perpetuates anti-Palestine racism and antisemitism”. Click here to read the piece.
