Antisemitism in Australia

Before World War II

In his 1989 review of early history of antisemitism in Australia (colonial period through the immediate postwar period), Sol Encel, observed that aside from its impact on immigration policy, antisemitism in Australia in this period can be viewed as a relatively minor social problem.^[12] According to Encel, anti-Jewish prejudice in Australia dates back to the first arrival of British convicts, eight of whom were Jews.^[12] Nonetheless, the colonial period was marked by the absence of institutionalised antisemitism found in Europe. Jews in Australia were never formally barred from entering the professions, sciences, academia, and arts. Despite being British subjects, Jews were permitted to run for political office in Australian parliaments even before it was legal for Jews to do so in the United Kingdom.^[13] Suzanne Rutland argues that antisemitism started to become prevalent in the country in the 1880s alongside the rise of Australian nationalism and the campaign to establish the Federation of Australia. Trade unions, politicians and the media were hostile to the small number of Russian Jewish arrivals in the country.^[14] In 1915, the Labor Party politician, Frank Anstey published a pamphlet, The Kingdom of Shylock, which included antisemitic elements, some of which he removed in a later republication. Due to its antisemitic content, the circulation of the original pamphlet was suppressed.^[15][14]

In the case of the Emanuel Solomon and Vaiben Solomon and their descendants, who arrived in the early 19th century and helped form a mercantile network composed of Jewish and non-Jewish members, correspondences concerning their entrepreneurial efforts contain occasional complaints over antisemitism they experienced in Australia.^[17]

During the wave of Jewish immigration in 1938–39, Frank Clarke, president of the Victorian Legislative Council, offered graphic depictions of refugees as "rat-faced men".^[18] Other incidents in this period include a 1920 arson attack on the synagogue in Toowoomba, Queensland (see § Attacks on synagogues).^[19][20]

World War II and postwar period

The second wave of Jewish refugees arrived between 1938 and 1939 and it was also denounced by an antisemitic Australian press and anti-Jewish statements were made by politicians.^[14] Pressure groups such as the Australian Natives' Association and Returned and Services League of Australia spearheaded resolutions against Jewish immigration.^[14] Nevertheless, the state of Australian antisemitism did not culminate in acts of violence like the acts of violence that were being perpetrated in Europe at that time.^[21] Nevertheless, there were reports of antisemitic attacks which were perpetrated against Jews by local Nazi sympathizers.^[22] In 1941, there were reports of antisemitic propaganda being circulated across Sydney suburbs.^[23] The Social Crediter, a publication run by C. H. Douglas, produced in England and circulated in Australia, was accused of promoting antisemitic propaganda.^[24][25] The New South Wales division of the social credit movement denounced the antisemitic material in The Social Crediter.^[26] A related publication, New Times, published by Eric Butler, was accused of promoting antisemitism.^[27] After the war, The Bulletin published antisemitic cartoons, pushing against Jewish immigration.^[14] In 1947, the Australian Journalists Association formed a committee to investigate the extent of antisemitism in the Australian press.^[28] By 1950, the Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Anti-Semitism (JCCFAS) observed that 80,000 copies of a single antisemitic pamphlet were distributed in Australia, and alleged that the Jewish community was often uninformed of these developments.^[29] In response, JCCFAS published and distributed 30,000 copies of a pamphlet titled "Anti-Semitism: A Menace to Australia".^[30] In 1949, the Jewish cemetery in Sydney was vandalised.^[31] In 1950, a North Carlton Synagogue and Talmud Torah were vandalised by local youths.^[32]

During this period, Arthur Calwell, the minister of immigration adopted measures to ensure that Jews would not constitute more than 0.5% of the country's population.^[14][33] Calwell also halted all immigration of Jews of Middle Eastern origin.^[34] There was a 25% cap on Jewish passengers travelling on Australia-bound ships and planes.^[14][35] In the late 1940s, Australian antisemitism continued to involve a strong focus on the prevention of Jewish immigration.^[36] In 1959, Sam Goldbloom, a prominent activist and a federal Labor candidate, was specifically targeted in the publication and circulation of antisemitic pamphlets.^[37][38] Also in 1959, the World Jewish Congress reported that antisemitic literature produced in Australia had turned up in Turkey.^[39] In January 1960, a series of antisemitic graffiti was reportedly drawn in Melbourne, including graffiti which was drawn at a Jewish community center.^[40] The incident was condemned by Melbourne's two archbishops.^[41] Also in January 1960, antisemitic graffiti in Canberra targeted a Jewish bakery,^[42] and other buildings.^[43] And later, the Central Synagogue in Sydney was targeted by antisemitic graffiti.^[44] And later, antisemitic graffiti appeared in Queanbeyan.^[45] By the end of January, Jewish community groups reported that 20 to 30 antisemitic acts had taken place.^[46] This period saw similar incidents elsewhere around the world and became known as the Swastika epidemic of 1959–1960.

From 1960, Eric Butler's far-right and antisemitic Australian League of Rights, became a national movement.^[47] The organisation promoted The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and other antisemitic libels.^[14] The League assisted Holocaust denier David Irving with his visits to Australia. And Veritas, the League's publishing company, published Irving's work in Australia.^[48][49] There were also strong antisemitic sentiments from some non-Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe that had settled in Australia.^[14] They established Australian branches of the fascist, antisemitic movements such as the Ustaše from Croatia and the Hungarian Arrow Cross.^[14]

Other incidents during the mid-1960s involved public Nazi-related displays. In 1965, Prime Minister Robert Menzies attended the inauguration of a new synagogue in City of Kew, a suburb of Melbourne where he laid the foundation stone. Notably, two months later, in October, the synagogue was targeted with antisemitic vandalism.^[50] On May Day in 1966, individuals claiming affiliation with the National Socialist Party of Australia conducted a public march wearing Nazi uniforms and carrying a Nazi flag near the Yarra River in Melbourne. The group was attacked by a large group of local residents.^[51][52] In June 1966, a Jewish center in East St Kilda associated with the Hashomer Hatzair youth group was targeted with swastikas and Nazi slogans.^[53]

1980s–1990s

Terrorism in Australia impacted the Australian Jewish community in the form of the 1982 bombing of a Jewish centre in Sydney.^[62] In 1982, the Sydney Israeli Consulate and the Sydney Jewish Community Centre, Hakoah Club, were targeted in a twin bombing event. The attack on the Hakoah Club involved an explosive device detonated inside a vehicle parked at the Jewish centre in Bondi, NSW. Initial police investigations led to the arrest of a 31-year-old man who was charged in relation to the Hakoah Club explosion. The case went before the court, however, charges were later withdrawn by the NSW Attorney General.^{[12][63][64][65][66]} According to the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, the Jewish community in Australia had been sheltered from past terror threats and warned that terrorist incidents could reoccur in the future. Following the bombing, security at the Hakoah club was tightened.^[67] Other threats against Jewish community institutions stemming from Arab terrorist groups arose in the late 1980s.^[12]

In 1988, a speech by Taj El-Din Hilaly, a prominent Muslim cleric, at the University of Sydney was treated by the Australian Jewish community as a significant attack against Jews. In a lecture to a group of Muslim students at the university, Hilaly made statements that aligned with major antisemitic tropes concerning Jews.^[68] Despite the subsequent critical coverage of the incident, Hilaly refused to apologise or retract his comments.^[69][13][70] The following year, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry began tracking antisemitic incidents across the country.^[71] In November 1989, three synagogues in Melbourne were vandalised with various antisemitic slogans and slurs.^[72] In 1992, the Australian Institute of Jewish Affairs revealed that an extremist network linked to LaRouche movement had been established to spy on Australian Jewish community leaders.^[73] In 1995, over 60 graves and headstones in the Jewish section of West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide were desecrated, leading to condemnations from Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin and Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating.^[74][75] The late 1980s and 1990s saw a number of significant attacks on Australian synagogues (see § Attacks on synagogues).

During the war on terror (2000s and 2010s)

After the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Australian Jewish community became a prime target of Al-Qaeda terror cells.^[76] At that time, the Community Security Group (CSG), a communal organisation responsible for security of synagogues, day schools, and other Australian Jewish institutions, shifted toward increased staffing levels in response to the growing threat of terrorist attacks against the Jewish community.^[77]

In the 2000s, Islamic terrorist threats appeared to be thwarted by Australian authorities. Instances include an Al-Qaeda plot to attack the 2000 Summer Olympics, the Israeli embassy in Canberra, as well as Jewish community targets. The plot was discovered after a raid on the house of Jack Roche who would be convicted in 2004.^[62] In 2003, Bilal Khazal, a Lebanese Australian, a former baggage handler for Qantas at Sydney Airport, and a prominent figure in the Islamic Youth Movement, an offshoot of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jam'ah Association of Australia (ASWJA), was arrested for on terrorism charges including producing propaganda encouraging attacks on the Australian Jewish community.^[78]

In the early 2000s, a series of violent attacks targeting the Jewish community in Canberra took place, including one incident involving the firebombing of the Jewish centre during a community event.^[79][80]

The sale and distribution of antisemitic literature is one area of concern for the Australian Jewish community. In 2000, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) found that Fredrick Töben had engaged in unlawful conduct in contravention of the Racial Discrimination Act (1975) in publishing material that was racially defaming of Jewish people on the Adelaide Institute website. Töben was ordered to remove the contents of the Adelaide Institute website from the internet and not to re-publish the content of that website in public elsewhere. He was also ordered to make a statement of apology.^[81] In the following years, Töben was unsuccessful in his efforts to appeal the ruling. In 2009, after Töben's website continued to house antisemitic material, Töben was sentenced to prison for three months for contempt of court.^[82][83]

In 2006, a spate of attacks on Australian synagogues occurred.^[84]

In 2007, anti-Jewish propaganda produced by an Islamic preacher in Sydney was criticised by Jewish community leaders.^[85]

In 2007, Jewish community members called for a government inquiry into antisemitism in Australia.^[86] That year, in the lead up to the Jewish New Year, the Community Security Group (CSG) held safety and security seminars for community members.^[87]

In the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that included a deadly attack on a Chabad house, the Australian Jewish community substantially increased security funding through the Jewish Security Capital Appeal organised by the NSW Council for Jewish Communal Security.^[88][89] Jewish community leaders criticised Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's muted response to the terror attack and called on Rudd to condemn Islamic terrorism targeting Jewish community sites.^[90]

In 2011, during an open day event at the Lakemba Mosque, a visitor reportedly discovered that copies of the antisemitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion were available for sale at the mosque.^[91][83] The same year, reports were made of extensive antisemitic literature being housed by the Australian League of Rights.^[83]

Attacks on Jews also appeared linked to conflicts overseas, such as the 2014 Israel-Gaza war. Incidents included various acts of violence and harassment of Jews on the street, at universities, the use of newspaper cartoons relying on Jewish stereotypes, and the use of anti-Israel discourse to intimidate Jews.^[92]

Shortly before the 2023 surge in antisemitism there was a rise in far-right antisemitism in Australia, In June 2023 there were reports of glorification of groups such as the Ustaše (who participated in the Holocaust and have previously been deemed responsible for terrorist attacks in Australia).^[93][94]

During the COVID-19 pandemic

Australian antisemitism was linked to extremist ideology concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.^[95][96]

A notable case of antisemitism directed at Jewish students involves the allegations raised by Jewish students at Brighton Secondary College. Jewish students alleged that they faced extensive antisemitic bullying and harassment and that the school administration was notified on multiple occasions but took no action.^[97][98][99] Victorian MPs David Southwick and James Newbury advocated for an investigation into the school's response. Subsequently, former students filed a lawsuit against the school and alleged that the school principal, Richard Minack, had referred to Jews using derogatory language,^[100] and had spoken positively about his father who served in the German army in World War Two.^[101] other schools noted for allegations of insufficient administrative response to antisemitism includes Lindfield Learning Village in North Sydney.^[102]

Key incidents

Politics

Antisemitism and other forms of hostility to Jewish interests found in contemporary Australian politics is determined in part by Jewish advocacy organisations. In some instances, concern over political parties being positioned as hostile to Jews and Jewish concerns is viewed as arising from different ends of the political spectrum, such as the Australian Greens, a left-wing party, and One Nation, a right-wing party.^[199] The case of the Greens involves allegations that the party fostered antisemitism.^[200] Charges of antisemitism against the Greens appears to hinge in part upon their advocacy for the state of Palestine, criticism of the Israeli Netanyahu government's actions in Gaza and competing definitions of antisemitism.^[201] In the same month, the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, criticised the Greens party for not sufficiently condemning the rise of antisemitism in Australia following the 7 October attacks.^[202] Jewish members of the Greens have alleged that party leaders ignore internal efforts to ensure a response to antisemitism is incorporated in the party's anti-racism response, and to ensure that opposition against the policies of the Israeli government does not provide cover for antisemitic sentiment.^[203] Following the vandalism and attempted firebombing of the Newtown Synagogue in Sydney's Inner West in January 2025, the local mayor accused the Greens of fanning the flames of antisemitism.^[204]

Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

In response to the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting and the broader surge in antisemitism since the October 7 attacks, the Albanese government established the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion on 9 January 2026 — the first royal commission in Australian history specifically dedicated to the issue of antisemitism.^[172] The commission is led by former High Court justice the Hon Virginia Bell AC SC. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese initially refused to establish a federal royal commission following the Bondi attack, instead announcing a departmental review led by former intelligence head Dennis Richardson. Following weeks of mounting pressure from victims' families, opposition leaders, Jewish community organisations, and over 60 prominent sports figures, Albanese reversed course on 8 January 2026.^[205] The New South Wales government, which had announced its own state royal commission, subsequently abandoned those plans in favour of the federal inquiry.^[172]

The commission received over 20,000 public submissions, more than any prior federal commission.^[206][207] An interim report released on 30 April 2026 made 14 recommendations to strengthen counter-terrorism responses — five of which remain classified — and cleared Australian authorities of direct failures to prevent the Bondi attack. It found however that counter-terrorism funding had significantly declined across the National Intelligence Community during a period when the threat to Jewish Australians was at its highest.^[208] Public hearings commenced in Sydney on 4 May 2026, with dozens of witnesses — many speaking anonymously — describing experiences including concealment of Jewish identity in public, antisemitism in schools, physical assaults, and lasting psychological trauma from the Bondi attack. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry recorded 2,062 antisemitic incidents between October 2023 and September 2024, a threefold increase on the prior year, which the commission is examining as part of its broader terms of reference.^[209] The commission's final report is due by 14 December 2026.

Early incidents

• 1920 Toowoomba Synagogue attack – In 1920, an arson attack reportedly occurred at the Beth Yisrael Synagogue in Toowoomba, Queensland. The synagogue targeted in the arson attack was originally established in 1875.^[210] The attackers reportedly entered the synagogue property, breaking down one of the doors, smashed a clock, and lit a fire which burned for three days causing considerable damage.^[19][20] Vandalism of the synagogue later led to the synagogue to be sold to a Lutheran church.^[211]
• 1950 North Carlton Synagogue attack – In 1950, a North Carlton Synagogue and Talmud Torah were vandalised by local youths.^[212][213]
• 1961 Lubavitcher Synagogue attack – In 1961, the Lubavitcher Synagogue in St Kilda was burned down in a suspected arson attack.^[214]
• 1968 Carlton Synagogue attack – In 1968, the Carlton Synagogue, was attacked by vandals. The attack involved destruction of property, theft, and the desecration of holy books and ritual objects. Reportedly, the vandals smashes of all the synagogue windows, ripped the telephone wires, tore down the pulpit microphone, knocked over pews, and scattered prayer books and prayer shawls on the floor. The attackers also stole a carpet sweeper, a floor polisher,^[215] as well as brass and silver fittings.^[216] The synagogue president stated that it was the worst case of synagogue vandalism in Australia,^[215][216] and The Australian Jewish News criticised the general Australian media outlets for their insufficient coverage of the incident.^[217]
• 1976 Brisbane Synagogue attack – In 1976, the Brisbane Synagogue was burned down in a suspected arson attack.^[218][219]
• 1977 Sydney Great Synagogue attack – In 1977, the Great Synagogue in Sydney was targeted in an arson attack which damaged the synagogue doors. It was believed to be the first such incident to take place in New South Wales. Several days before the attack, obscene literature was placed inside the synagogue.^[220]
• 1981 Maroubra Synagogue attack – In 1981, the Maroubra Synagogue was set on fire, the synagogue hall was heavily damaged. The attack was suspected to be part of a series of anti-religious attacks against houses of worship in the area.^[221]
• 1984 Elwood Synagogue attack – In 1984, the Elwood Talmud Torah Congregation synagogue was extensively damaged in an arson attack.^[222]
• 1990 Melbourne Synagogue attacks – In 1990, a series of at least five arson attacks occurred in March and April. The Kew Synagogue in Melbourne was targeted in two arson attacks. The first attack occurred in March and involved a brick smashing a window and four petrol bombs thrown inside, damaging the interior of the building.^[223][224] The second attack took place in April.^[225] The Caulfield Synagogue was also targeted in April with a petrol bomb damaging the exterior of the building. A second attempt to firebomb Caulfield Synagogue was made on the following night. The Mizrachi Synagogue was also targeted, but the attackers were frightened off by the synagogue caretaker.^[226] The Jewish community of Victoria called upon the state government to respond to the recent wave of anti-Jewish incidents, including the synagogue attacks.^[227] Other acts of vandalism and property damage against synagogues in Melbourne continued in the months that followed.^{[228][229][230]} The attacks also led to a response from Prime Minister Hawke who stated he would pursue new legislation to combat antisemitism.^[231][232]

• 1991 Sydney synagogue attacks – Synagogue attacks in 1991 includes a series of arson attacks on Sydney synagogues including on the North Shore Temple Emanuel in North Sydney.^[233][234] An arson attack targeted the Bankstown Synagogue in Western Sydney which resulted in the total destruction of the synagogue building.^[235][234] The Bankstown Jewish community had been active since the first decades of the 20th century and had first established a synagogue in 1914.^[236] The site was redeveloped and serves as a Uniting Church Aged Care facility.^[237] Several other synagogues in Sydney were also targeted by arsonists that year.^[233]
  • Other 1991 incidents – Synagogues in other cities also suffered from attacks in 1991. Bricks were thrown through a window at the Newcastle synagogue, and a bloodied pig's head was placed at the Brisbane synagogue.^[238]
• Other incidents in the 1990s – In 1993, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Newtown synagogue, Sydney's second oldest synagogue, was subjected to an arson attack.^[239] In 1995, an arson attack took place on the Adass Israel synagogue in Glen Eira (in South East Melbourne).^[240] (In 2024, the same synagogue was firebombed, sustaining significant damage).

Other incidents include a 1990 attack where petrol bombs were thrown at a synagogue in Melbourne.^[223]

Attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools occurred through the 1990s and continued during the 2000s.^[241]

2000–2020s

Between 2000 and 2023 (prior to 7 October, see below), synagogues across Australia were targeted in acts of vandalism or arson. Attacks have occurred in 2000 (Sydney, Canberra),^[242][243] 2001 (Canberra),^[244] 2002 (Melbourne, Sydney),^[245] 2004 (Perth),^{[246][247][248]} 2005 (Melbourne, Newcastle),^[249] 2006 (Sydney)^[249][250] 2008 (Melbourne, Sydney),^[251][252] 2010 (Perth),^[253] 2011 (Brisbane),^[254] 2016 (Sydney),^[255] 2018 (Canberra),^[256] 2019 (Brisbane),^[257] 2020 (Launceston),^[258] 2022 (Melbourne, Launceston),^{[citation needed]} and 2023 (Maitland).^[259] Operation Shelter is a NSW Police operation aimed at preventing antisemitic and other hate-related incidents.^[260][261]

Other anti-Jewish incidents involving synagogues have come to public attention. In one case, in 2017, the likelihood of attacks on Australian synagogues led a NSW council to block the construction of a new synagogue over security concerns.^[262] In one instance, a public menorah, a large religious display placed in public, organised by a Melbourne synagogue was vandalised in December 2022.^{[263][264][265]}

Following 7 October 2023, antisemitic actions directed at synagogues continued. In an incident occurring on 8 October 2023, in New South Wales, two individuals walked past a synagogue and shouted "Allahu Akbar", before saying that they would "blow up the synagogue".^[266] On 11 October 2023, in Melbourne, a synagogue received a bomb threat.^[267] On 23 November 2023, in Western Australia, an individual threw two glasses of red paint at a synagogue.^[266] In December 2023, hoax bomb threats were made to several synagogues across Australia.^[266] On 25 November 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters targeted a Melbourne synagogue where a panel discussion was organised by the Australian Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC). An altercation between protesters and counter-protesters led to the police restraining a man wearing a keffiyeh.^[268] On 26 November 2024, a Chabad synagogue in St Kilda, Melbourne was vandalised with pro-Palestinian and antisemitic graffiti.^[269] On 6 December 2024, an Orthodox synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed,^[270] destroying holy books and injuring one witness.^{[271][272][273]} Shortly after the attack, the Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan visited the synagogue site to condemn the incident and to announce funding to help cover rebuilding costs.^{[citation needed]} Following the attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the attack was an act of terrorism,^[274] and later visited the site where he also faced hecklers.^[275] Additionally, in the wake of the synagogue attack, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) launched a specialised operation to investigate antisemitism in Australia.^[276][277] Prior to the attack, the synagogue had applied for security grants but was declined.^[278]

On 10 January 2025, one month after the establishment of the taskforce, the AFP stated that 124 cases were referred to the taskforce, with 102 selected for investigation.^[279] The targeting of Australian synagogues continued after the Melbourne firebombing incident with a synagogue in Southeast Sydney vandalised on 10 January 2025,^{[280][281][282][283]} and Newtown Synagogue in Sydney's Inner West was vandalised on 11 January 2025.^{[284][285][286]} The Newtown incident also involved an attempt to burn down the synagogue. By 23 January 2025, NSW Police arrested two men in connection to the Newtown Synagogue case.^[287]

In August 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were responsible for the attack on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney and the synagogue attack in Melbourne. In response, he expelled the Iranian ambassador from the country and declared the IRGC as a terrorist organization.^{[288][289][290]}

On February 20, 2026, a 32-year-old man allegedly rammed a black pickup truck (Toyota Hilux ute) into the gates of the Brisbane Synagogue in Queensland, Australia. The ute involved in the incident knocked the gates down shortly after evening services, narrowly missing a congregant. Queensland Police charged Matthew De Campo with willful damage, serious vilification or hate crime, dangerous driving, and possession of a dangerous drug, treating it as a hate-motivated incident rather than terrorism.^{[291][292][293][294]}

Condemnations by Australian Prime Ministers

• In January 1960, Prime Minister Robert Menzies condemned recent manifestations of antisemitism in the country: "I think that I should now say that there is absolutely no room in Australia for anti-Semitism..."^[295][296]
• In 1972, Prime Minister William McMahon stated: "I say to you with all the sincerity of which I am capable: I will repudiate and reject any hint of anti-semitism as disgraceful and unworthy of any Australian. I have nothing but comtempt for any Australian who would stoop to such statements or behaviour."^[297]
• In 1995, Prime Minister Paul Keating condemned an incident where dozens of Jewish graves in Adelaide were vandalised.^{[298][299][300]}
• In 2013, Prime Minister Julia Gillard siggned the London Declaration on Combating Antisemitism and stated that antisemitism 'pollutes our world right now'.^[301][302]
• In a 2013 speech delivered by Malcolm Turnbull on an attack on a Jewish family in Sydney, described the importance of condemning antisemitism in Australia.^[303]
• In 2023, following the attacks conducted by Hamas on 7 October, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the majority of the Australian Parliament passed a motion concerning hate speech targeting Jews and others in Australia in the aftermath of the attack.^[304]
  • Shortly thereafter, six out of seven of Australia's living former prime ministers (John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison) signed a statement against the rise of antisemitism in Australia in the wake of the attack and the threat to national cohesion, stating that "the there is no more tenaciously evil race hatred than antisemitism".^[305][306] Howard, Gillard, and Albanese later appeared on a 2024 documentary Never Again: The Fight Against Anti-Semitism.^[307]
  • In the wake of continued antisemitic incidents in Sydney in November 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was criticised by the Chief Minister and President of Sydney's Great Synagogue and by former Prime Minister John Howard for perceived inefficiency in combatting antisemitism in Australia.^[308][309] In January 2025, following Anthony Albanese's claim that his government did all that it could to combat the issue of antisemitism in Australia, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the peak Australian Jewish organisational body, criticised the Prime Minister for listing his achievements during a crisis where police action have fallen short in its enforcement of existing laws. The peak body called on the Prime Minister to convene a National Cabinet meeting to address the issue.^[310]

Jewish organisational efforts

In 1942, the Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Anti-Semitism (JCCFAS), a Melbourne-based group, was founded to combat antisemitism and fascism. The group operated until 1970.^[311] In 1943, a group was formed in Western Australia dedicated to combating antisemitism.^[312] Another Jewish group based in Melbourne, known as Research Services, was formed in 1960 and operated until the 1970s. The group involved itself in gathering information on antisemitic activities in Australia. The group's members included Jewish ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen.^[313] Since then, other Australian Jewish organisations have responded to antisemitism including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) which produces annual incident reporting of antisemitism in Australia (starting from 1989),^[71] the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC),^[314] which was originally formed by B'nai B'rith, and the Community Security Group (CSG).^[315] Other organisations approach the issue through educational programming such as Courage to Care (C2C)^[316][317] which focuses on upstander behaviour, and Moving Forward Together (MFT)^[318] which focuses on promoting harmony through multicultural activities.

The Jewish community in South-East Queensland adopts varied responses to antisemitism, including education initiatives, interfaith dialogue, and security measures. These actions are framed as both protective and performative, aiming to assert Jewish identity within a multicultural framework.^[319]

Community experiences of and attitudes toward antisemitism have been reported on in community studies produced in partnership with Monash University's Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation. Findings from a 2017 study include reporting that direct or personal experience of antisemitic insults and harassment over the last 12 months was experienced or witnessed by roughly one in ten respondents, with higher rates for Hasidic and Haredi Jews.^{[320]: 67–71}

In the aftermath of the sharp rise of antisemitic incidents in Australia following 7 October 2023, Jewish communal organisations campaigned for the Australian government to create a position to oversee the response to antisemitism.^[321] in response, on 9 July 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appointed Jillian Segal, a former president of the ECAJ, as the special envoy on antisemitism to the Australian Government.^[322] A local development following 7 October 2023, involved Jewish House, a Sydney-based non-profit organisation, partnering with Lifeline, a crisis support service, to document how antisemitic incidents, including the public support for the 7 October attacks, and other anti-Jewish incidents, invalidate the experiences Jewish community members, leading to increased anxiety and require culturally-specific responses from mental health support workers.^[323] Jewish House also created a dedicated resource website supporting practitioners with clients facing antisemitism.^[324][325] A response by Chabad of St Kilda to the 2024 antisemitic targeting of the home and property of the Chabad emissary family involved increased the number of public menorahs in Melbourne.^[326] Legal avenues to address antisemitism include a 2024 suit in Australian Federal court against an Islamic preacher in Sydney whose sermons are alleged to have incited hatred against Jews.^[112][327]

In May 2025, the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (AAAAA), a network of academics and professionals from 32 Australian universities and medical centres, conducted research to assess the extent of antisemitism in Australian university settings, and the extent to which Australian universities actively ensure their campuses are free from antisemitism.^[328]

Following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, the Jewish community of Victoria began conducting a community-wide review of security measures in place to safeguard Jewish institutions.^[329] The Western Australian Jewish community received additional security funding from the state government.^[330]

Police efforts

Owing to security threats facing Jewish life in Australia, state and federal police have established operations and taskforces to combat the issue.

• Special Operation Avalite – In December 2024, a joint policing initiative was launched by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to combat a rise in antisemitism in Australia.^[331]
• Operation Shelter – Following the surge in antisemitism that began in late 2023, the New South Wales Police established a rapid response unit to safeguard Jewish community sites.^[332][333] Following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, the unit was made permanent.^[334]
• Operation Park – From late 2023, the Victoria Police formed Operation Park to respond to hate incidents. Approximately 70% of all incidents investigated targeted Jews and Jewish institutions.^[335]
• Strike Force Pearl – The New South Wales Police formed Strike Force Pearl in December 2024.^[336]
• Operation Jewish High Holy Days – In 2015, the New South Wales Police established Operation Jewish High Holy Days.^[337] Following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion recommended for the operation to be extended to other Jewish holidays.^[338]

Other community efforts

In 1989, following a number of racist and antisemitic incidents, a community group was formed, known as the Community Alert Against Racism and Violence (CAARAV), led by the Rev. Dorothy McMahon of the Pitt Street Uniting Church. The group's aims were to distribute published materials to counteract racist and neo-Nazi activity. The group was endorsed by religious leaders in the Jewish community.^[339][340]

In 1997, the Australian Institute of Holocaust Studies (later renamed the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (AIHGS)), sponsored the training of an Indigenous Australian scholar to travel to Israel to study the history of the Holocaust and antisemitism.^[341]

In July 2026, the Chabad community produced an event for healing from the Bondi Beach terror attack. Featured at the event were a Chabad author on emotional wellness and a musical performance from a Chabad cantor.^[342]

In 2026, following an incident involving students from a private school, Western Australia, Jewish community leaders reported they had observed an increase in antisemitism in recent years but they also reported active engagement and response from police and state education officials.^[343] Following the start of the Royal Commission into antisemitism, legal services for Jews and others providing statements were offered by Legal Aid WA.^[344]

University sector

Within the Australian university sector, a major response to antisemitism has been developed by a specialised unit formed by Monash University. The Monash Initiative for Rapid Research into Antisemitism (MIRRA) was established as a project with Monash University's Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation. MIRRA advances research on Australian antisemitism and works with industries to address areas of concern through specialised training.^{[345][346][347]}

Legislative

In 2024, Australia outlawed the display of Nazi symbols.^[348] Prior to this legislation, similar laws were passed in New South Wales (2022),^[349] Victoria (2023),^[350] ACT (2023),^[351] South Australia (2023),^[352] Queensland (2024).^[353] Tasmania (2024).^[354] and Western Australia (2024).^[355] Notable cases involving the early application of these laws include the arrest of the owner of a prominent restaurant in Sydney.^[356]

In January 2025, Jillian Segal, the Australian Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, criticised lenient sentencing for antisemitic offenses as a factor undermining efforts to address hate crimes against the Australian Jewish community, and called for mandatory sentencing for individuals attacking synagogues. Following an increase in attacks on synagogues and Jewish homes in the prior months, Segal called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and state premiers to convene a national cabinet meeting. She argued that urgent action is required to implement tougher sentencing guidelines and ensure more consistent prosecution of antisemitic hate crimes.^[357][358] In response, Anthony Albanese rejected both of Segal's requests, and stated that sentencing should be left to judges and that he would not need to convene a national cabinet as he discussed the matter with the premiers of Victoria and New South Wales.^[359] However, following an attack on a childcare centre in Sydney, calls for a national cabinet were renewed. The Prime Minister convened the national cabinet to discuss coordinating efforts to combat antisemitism.^[152][154] A key outcome of the meeting was the announcement of a national database to track antisemitic-related crime, incidents, and behaviours.^[360]

Reception of term and use

According to Sam Lipski, the term antisemitism in the Australian context refers to a variety of categories of behaviours. Each require a suitable response. Lipski identifies seven categories:^[367]

(1) Physically violent acts or threats directed against Jews, Jewish institutions and Jewish property; (2) verbal abuse against Jews in Jewish neighbourhoods; (3) political agitation on the fringe by extremist groups accompanied by the dissemination of propaganda literature and audio-visual material of the racist (anti-black, anti-Asian) and classic anti-semitic variety; (4) public expressions of hostility against Jews in the mainstream, church and ethnic media or in the mainstream ideas marketplace; (5) private or casual prejudicial statements against Jews, sometimes described as “ritual anti-semitism”; (6) acts of discrimination against Jews in the workplace; (7) acts of terrorism against Jews or Jewish property by anti-Israel elements.

According to the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, in their submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, a distinct challenge in Australian responses to antisemitism is that it is often responded to using general anti-racism policies. The Board has instead argued that antisemitism be treated as a distinct form of hatred.^[368]

According to the Dor Foundation, measuring antisemitic incidents is insufficient to aid understanding of the issue. General expressions, community perceptions, Jewish lived experience and other elements must also be assessed including beliefs and attitudes held by general population which may shape conditions for the expression of anti-Jewish hate.^[369]

The anti-Zionist Jewish advocacy group Jewish Council of Australia has criticised what it viewed as conflation of antisemitism with criticism of Israel. It accused some Israel supporters of "weaponising the Holocaust",^[370] and that in regards to pro-Palestine protests on university campuses, accusations of antisemitism are "being used to crack down on legitimate political expression and peaceful protests on campuses".^[371] In their submission to the Australian Senate regarding antisemitism at Australian universities, the group criticised proposed legislation as having "potential to create a hierarchy of categories of racism, exacerbate division, and undermine collaborative, multicultural, multi-faith efforts to tackle racism".^[372] Others, such as Professor Philip Mendes have argued that the Council's views are the result of the opportunistic leveraging of a fringe minority of Jewish individuals used as tokenistic alibis for individuals and organisations opposed to Australian Jews.^[373] Other researchers argue that attacks on Jewish Australians, such as the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, involve the murder of Jews while styling the action against "Zionists", reflecting how conflation of these topics on the part of perpretrators of violence produce deadly results.^[374] Other scholars argue that a generic term such as "groupism" is better suited to address the anti-Jewish actions and that the real challenge for Australia lies in its tendency to overlook deep-seated cultural tensions until a crisis occurs, which can lead the government to implement heavy-handed policy responses that risk reinforcing the very social divisions they aim to resolve.^[375]

In a 2026 Centre for Independent Studies research paper, Philip Mendes wrote that the National Tertiary Education Union opposed the IHRA definition of antisemitism and had not adopted measures to combat antisemitism.^[373]