Australian academics form alliance to combat antisemitism on campus

I don’t recall ever having experienced antisemitism when I was at university in the 1990s. Not once. Even as an AUJS representative. I was never made to feel uncomfortable about my identity. Today, feeling uncomfortable is part of the ongoing reality for Jewish university students across Australia and globally.

When antisemitism and threats to Jewish staff and students depend on the context, it is indicative of a failure of the tertiary system to protect its own. The duty not to harm should override the duty to support academic freedom.

It was in response to October 7 and the rise in antisemitic incidences on campus and against the Israeli academy that the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism was formed. The group currently has over 260 members at 26 universities across Australia, with a vision for a tertiary sector where Jewish students and staff are free from antisemitism on campus, and where there are ongoing exchanges of knowledge, experiences and dialogue with the Israeli academy.

Steven Prawer, professor of physics at the University of Melbourne and co-chair of the alliance, recalled that “October 7 was my ‘Herzl’ moment when I realised that antisemitism indeed is a light sleeper and that unless we act with unity of purpose, organisational coordination and active diplomacy, we will see it grow on campus. The most important long-term weapon in our armoury is education and advocacy. The Gaza war will eventually end but the need for the alliance will continue into the foreseeable future”.

On campus, there is now a network of "alliance academic advisors" across Australian universities, whose roles are to advocate for zero tolerance of antisemitism and to support Jewish students and staff. Instances of academic bias against Israel in coursework are increasing and many academics feel free to make discriminatory statements against Jewish students in class or on social media.