Anti-Jewish incidents quadruple in Australia in past year

There have been more than 2,062 anti-Jewish incidents in Australia over the past year, compared with 495 in the previous 12-month period.

New figures for the period 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024 show the highest level of antisemitism since the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) began tracking incidents in 1990.

The 2024 level of antisemitism is more than four times the level in 2023, and more than six times the average of the preceding 10 years.

ECAJ Research Director Julie Nathan said if anything, the raw numbers understated the seriousness of the surge in antisemitism.

“If it was thought that anti-Jewish racism was a thing of the past and defeated, the last 12 months has shown that it has been cynically reactivated and stoked for political purposes. The physical, verbal and other forms of attacks on Jewish individuals, families and community venues will continue to worsen unless governments, police and others show some spine by taking resolute action to halt the rising tide of acts of hatred against the Jewish community and bringing those responsible to account.”

Stronger laws needed

The government is currently reviewing an amendment to the Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill, which aims to strengthen existing offences; create new offences for threatening force or violence against targeted groups; and expand the list of groups protected.

In a submission to the inquiry into the amendment, ECAJ described the amendment as a modest step in the right direction but said it does not go far enough to provide an effective response “even to some of the more scandalous forms of hate speech”.

It wants the Bill changed to:

Anti-Jewish not anti-Israel

The increase in antisemitism since October last year coincides with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israel-Hamas War in Gaza, which have prompted protests against Israel.

ECAJ said it only includes anti-Israel incidents in the figures if Jews were threatened or attacked.

“While many anti-Israel incidents are offensive and consist of false and libelous claims, ECAJ does not include such incidents as anti-Jewish unless there is a clear and specific anti-Jewish element, e.g. placing anti-Israel or pro-Palestine graffiti, stickers etc. on a synagogue; or yelling ‘Free Palestine’ at people simply because they have been identified (rightly or wrongly) as Jewish; or placards etc. using older anti-Jewish tropes cloaked in anti-Zionist terms e.g. ‘Zionists control the government’.”

It also counts as anti-Jewish calling for violence against or the persecution of Jewish people or denial of their rights, including public calls for the elimination of Israel and calls for “intifada”, and analogies between Israel/Zionism and Nazi Germany/Nazism as antisemitic.

These definitions are in line with the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by the Australian government.

Types of incidents

Most of the incidents recorded are in the less severe categories of verbal abuse, graffiti or posters and stickers.

But the number of cases of physical assault increased almost sixfold. In the worst case, a 44-year-old Jewish man was attacked by three men who repeatedly punched and kicked him in a public park in Sydney in October 2023. The attackers asked if he supported Israel, then beat him, calling him a “Jew dog” and other slurs. He sustained two black eyes, concussion, and four fractures to his spine, and was hospitalised for four days.

Cases of vandalism included a synagogue window smashed with rocks and a mezuzah ripped off the door of a Jewish home.

Cases of abuse, harassment and intimidation included several death threats. In one case, a group declared “We’re hunting for Jews”.

There were:

Social media incidents are not included in the figures but have been recorded in a separate report from the Online Hate Prevention Institute.

Israel’s president expresses concern

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has commented that he is “very much aware” of growing anti-Israel rhetoric and antisemitism across Australia.

“It bothers me terribly,” Herzog told an Australian Jewish audience during a webinar on Sunday night.

“I've been noticing for years that there is lurking Israel hate which is combined with antisemitism on campuses in Australia... It's extremely complicated, because it's a combination of age-old antisemitism brainwashing, and of course, political forces.”

But while Herzog acknowledges the challenge of antisemitism, he is optimistic that Australia’s “Zionist, strong, vibrant community” can create a solution – one which he believes involves a mixture of education, law enforcement, political messaging and trips to Israel.

“There's a huge campaign of all our haters to delegitimise our right of self-defence, and that's combined with activities against Jews. The counter offensive has to do with explaining Israel,” Herzog said.

“I think the great resource of your community has been Jewish education, Jewish schools. [You] need to disseminate the message of educating on how to deal with antisemitism… and [make] sure that the young generation is involved and active.

“You also have fantastic legal system, which needs to be used to fight against antisemitism, from adjudication to law enforcement. Finally, go to opinion makers who understand the price of antisemitism – how it always starts with the Jews but never ends with the Jews – and explain how it can impact the future of Australia."

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Full Report: Anti-Jewish incidents 2024 (ECAJ)