Jewish Council of Australia media releases
Our media releases
Re-elected Albanese government must condemn Israel’s brutality and cut ties
On May 5, the Israeli Parliament approved plans to annex and occupy Gaza. These plans have been discussed for months. This is a blatant mission to ethnically cleanse Gaza, advancing Israel’s colonial intentions to take over the territory and rid it of Palestinians. For the past 19-months Israel has acted with extraordinary brutality, carrying out…
Jewish Council slams Dutton for stoking racist culture war, making all of us less safe
The Jewish Council has condemned Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for picking up neo-Nazi talking points, after he said yesterday he did not believe Anzac Day dawn services warranted a Welcome to Country. Dutton’s remarks followed the removal of prominent neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant from Melbourne’s Anzac Day dawn service on Friday, for heckling during a Bunurong elder’s…
Oscar-winning film screening cancelled after threats, complaints to Melbourne cinema
A screening organised by and for a Jewish audience of the Academy Award-winning film No Other Land at Classic Cinemas Elsternwick was cancelled late on Wednesday, after management said it had received 20 threats and complaints in one day and been warned about protests planned for the evening of the event. The film, which won the 2025…
The Australian government must show moral leadership and urgently support Palestinians fleeing Israel’s genocide
With full blessings and support from the United States, and lack of concrete action from its allies like Australia, Israel is escalating its genocidal war in Gaza at an unprecedented scale. Overnight, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed 32 men, women, and children. This follows news last week that Israeli forces executed 15 aid and emergency workers in Gaza, killing…
The Jewish Council joins six other Jewish organisations in calling for sanctions against the State of Israel
[Image credit] The Jewish Council of Australia has issued a joint statement with six other groups, opposing Israel’s decision to resume the horrific bombardment of Gaza and calling on the Australian government to impose sanctions on the state of Israel. In a sign of growing community support, the statement was signed by seven Australian Jewish groups: On…
UN Report reveals Israel’s systematic use of gender-based violence
Today the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (the Commission) submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council. The Commission’s report, ‘More than a human can bear’: Israel’s systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since 7 October 2023, accuses Israel of genocidal…
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…
The Jewish Council condemns ‘Christchurch 2.0’ threat to Sydney mosque
The Jewish Council of Australia strongly condemns comments made on the Instagram page of a mosque in western Sydney, threatening ‘Christchurch 2.0’. This threat is part of a broader trend of Islamophobia and rising far-right extremism and white supremacist organising in Australia which places the safety of all racialised groups at risk. The threat, made…
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…
Jewish Council supports public interest defence in Victorian anti-vilification legislation
All people have a right to live free of discrimination and vilification and the Jewish Council supports the Victorian government’s commitment to protecting marginalised communities from acts of hatred. The Jewish Council of Australia stands in support of robust civil protections against hate speech while ensuring that criminal laws do not target marginalised communities and…
500+ Jewish Australians take out newspaper ad saying NO to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians
Members of the Australian Jewish community have taken out a full-page ad in Nine newspapers urging Australia to reject Trump’s plan for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza. The ad in today’s Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, organised by an independent grassroots collective, features the names of 500 Jewish signatories including musician Ben Lee; actor Miriam Margolyes;…
‘Every life is a universe’: The ceasefire must hold
[Image credit] Whoever destroys a single life, the Torah considers it as if they destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a single life, the Torah considers it as if they saved an entire world.Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a Yesterday, we received confirmation that the remains of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas have been returned to their…
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…
Open Letter to Jason Clare MP: Targeting of Antiracist Academics Evidence of Rising Repression of Dissent
Jason Clare MP Dear Minister Clare, The Jewish Council urges you to reject the coordinated and malicious campaigns by Israel lobby groups to interfere with the academic freedom of Palestinian and First Nations scholars. We write to you in response to the campaigns being run by various Israel lobby groups to silence the voices of…
The Jewish Council condemns US President Trump’s plan to ‘take over’ Gaza
[Image credit] The Jewish Council of Australia strongly condemns Donald Trump’s suggestion the United States will ‘take over’ the Gaza Strip and move Palestinian people elsewhere. We furthermore condemn the cynical use of humanitarian language by Trump to justify his egregious plan. This language adds insult to injury given the mounting evidence collected by human…
Offensive smear campaign by the Murdoch Press against the Jewish Council’s anti-racism work and Sarah Schwartz
Dear supporters, Today marks 237 years since the commencement of the violent dispossession of First Nations peoples from this land. It represents a day of mourning and protest. We are reluctant to email you about anything other than this today, but we feel it is important to keep you informed about the vicious and escalating…
Joint statement on recent hate crimes in Australia
[Image credit] Human Rights Watch, Jewish Council of Australia, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Australian National Imams Council, Human Rights Law Centre and Amnesty International condemn a recent spate of antisemitic hate crimes in Australia. The antisemitic attacks include the January 21 arson attack and spray-painting of antisemitic graffiti of a childcare centre in Maroubra…
Antisemitic arson attack on childcare centre in Maroubra
This morning, a childcare centre was set alight and graffitied with antisemitic words. This is only the latest in a string of violent antisemitic incidents, which include attacks on synagogues and on the former home of a Jewish community leader. The Jewish Council strongly condemns all of these incidents. These reprehensible acts of violence are…
Ceasefire deal: relief, mourning and hope for a future of peace, justice and accountability
[Image credit] Yesterday we woke to news that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, many details of which are still unknown. The Jewish Council welcomes this ceasefire, and sends our solidarity to all who have suffered, and to those who have lost, and continue to lose, loved ones to this senseless violence.…
Jewish Council condemns graffiti attack on Synagogue
The Jewish Council of Australia strongly condemns the antisemitic graffiti vandalism at the Allawah synagogue in southern Sydney which uses Nazi references and symbols. Sarah Schwartz, Executive Officer "Acts of antisemitism like this are attacks on all Jews, as well as on our collective values of inclusivity and diversity." "Now, more than ever, we remain…
