Published: 6 February 2026
Last updated: 17 February 2026
This article is a part of a debate. Read To act against communal interests is to be an 'anti-Jew' Jew by Hannah Chester.
I have never met Sarah Schwartz from the Jewish Council of Australia. I suspect that if we sat down together, we would disagree on most things relating to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. But like all Jews, she is part of my people.
That is why I was horrified when Lillian Klein debated her on ABC and accused of being an “anti-Jew” because of her political views.
"Sarah might be a Jew but she is an anti-Jew whose views are not reflective or representative of the mainstream Jewish community here in Australia." - Lillian Kline, speaking of Jewish Council of Australia EO Sarah Schwartz on ABC Radio
I want to be clear. I am an Orthodox Jew and a Zionist, and my politics are not Sarah's. But I would never, ever hurl that accusation at a fellow Jew, and trust me it’s not because I am too polite or too conflict averse. But rather, because Judaism itself does not allow it.
At the core of Jewish life sits a principle that is both deceptively simple and brutally demanding: Ahavat Yisrael. Love for a fellow Jew.
There are no ideological entrance exams to being a Jew and no political loyalty oaths
In Jewish tradition, every Jew, religious or secular, Zionist or anti-Zionist, left wing or right wing, lactose tolerant or deeply lactose intolerant, possesses a Neshama, a soul. A literal spark of the Divine.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad movement, teaches that every Jew has a nefesh Elokit, a Godly soul, that is one and indivisible at its source. Because all Jewish souls share this single Divine root, we are commanded to love other Jews based on their essence, not their behaviour or temperament or politics. Love is not contingent on how palatable someone is to us, and it is certainly not earned by ideological alignment. Rather, it is demanded precisely when those things are absent.
This is where Ahavat Yisrael becomes uncomfortable. It is easy to love Jews who look like us, think like us, vote like us, and make us feel morally affirmed. It is much harder to love Jews who unsettle us, embarrass us, anger us, or articulate positions we believe are deeply wrong. But the mitzvah does not ask us only to love our fellow Jews when it feels easy.
Comments14
Andrew W12 July at 08:51 am
The idea that it’s not possible for one to put herself outside the boundaries of the Jewish community strikes me a historically false. The cherem existed for a reason.
Jack10 March at 04:19 am
Seven days after Hamas’ attack, we had a referendum in Australia. The no case was fronted by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Warren Mundine, two First Nations people. They were entitled to their opinion. What they were not entitled to do and did not do was pretend they represented anything but a tiny minority of First Nations Australians.
Rafael Bierig Erlich15 February at 01:35 am
Similar to Chester, I also do not align with the current Israeli government and cringe at the notion of Dutton being portrayed as saviour of Australian Jews. As such, I am definitively not represented by the main Jewish peak bodies who insist on portraying our community as a homogeneous group of individuals fully supportive of the current Israeli government. This could not be further away from reality. In fact, I regularly have to spend a significant amount of time explaining to non-Jews in my social and professional circle that no, not all of us are supportive of Bibi and friends. I also do not fully align with JCA’s position, but it is great to see their efforts to increase their share of voice and bring broader visibility to our plurality. To state that JCA positions are hostile to ‘Jewish collective interests’ takes us once again to that narrative of homogeneity across the community which is in my view a misrepresentation of reality.
In this context, it was great to read Kaltmann’s article and be reassured that some members from the Jewish orthodox community can understand this plurality. That we can agree to disagree amongst us without being labelled an anti-Jew.
Dawn Cohen14 February at 10:11 pm
Jewish Council of Australia is immoral because:
1. It chooses a name designed to misrepresent itself as representative of most Jews and leverages that lie, exploiting the Australian people repeatedly
2. It may say it is “ non-Zionist” and may present more nuanced perspective in Altman’s article in the JI, but to the general Australian public it consistently aligns with antizionist messaging, has not done one thing to stop the persecution of Jews on the left eho refuse to meet the criteria of antizionism, and repeatedly dismissies antisemitism in Australia and therefore has emboldened it.
It is therefore immoral to be a member of JCA. An organization with leadership that deliberately misrepresents truth, as Adler has in saying the objections to the antisemitism in the Adelaide writers festival were just about the anti-Zionist hatred of the Writer being Palestinian.
JCA members are personally responsible for these lies, the emboldening of antisemitism in Australia that is consequent.
Simon Krite12 February at 11:44 pm
The problem with this piece is it hides a political argument inside a sermon about love.
Nobody claimed a Jew stops being a Jew because of their views. That’s a strawman. The real issue is whether a Jew can promote positions that damage Jewish safety, legitimacy and self-determination and then demand immunity from criticism under the banner of Ahavat Yisrael.
Love is not endorsement and belonging is not protection from accountability.
Kaltmann condemns “boundary drawing” while defending activists who constantly draw boundaries themselves, labelling mainstream Jewish institutions immoral, illegitimate or unethical. Ideological lines are unacceptable only when the community pushes back.
You can’t legitimately amplify narratives to target Jews, empower movements that deny Jewish sovereignty, and then retreat into spiritual language when confronted. Pathetic double speak.
Kaltmann wants a one-way obligation. Zionists must speak gently, anti-Zionists may act politically without communal response.
You remain part of the people.
But you do not get to harm the people and dictate how quietly they object.
Helen Rosenbaum12 February at 11:06 pm
The JCA describes itself as non-zionist not anti-zionist. For this reason I am comfortable to be a supporter. I have been described as a self-hating Jew. I am pro-peace and fervently desire human rights for both Jews and Palestinians. JCA’s values and principles (see their website) align with this. I believe they also align with the core Jewish principles described by Nomi in this great article. We are all Jewish and I am proud of Jewish values.
Dawn Cohen12 February at 09:02 am
Naming the internalized antisemitism in antizionist activist Jews ( as opposed to non -Zionist, or strongly criticism of Israeli government Jews) is not denying their Jewishness or the presence or holiness of their soul, their Jewish Soul. It does not mean turning away from honouring that holiness, or turning away from loving them as part of the Jewish family. In fact naming the antisemitism without being abusive is the responsible thing to do. oppressed groups receive massive social reward and inner soothing through undermining the interests of their own: women in Afghanistan, Iran and even Australia are encouraged to police other women; historically gay people have put down other homosexuals to take the heat off themselves. Some Middle Ages antisemitism was initiated by Jews socially coerced into Christianity. The psychological term for this phenomenon is “ identification with the aggressor”. The person does not experience it at all like internalized oppression. They think they are, in fact, extra moral for putting the needs of the other first. From the inside It feels honourable, free -thinking and brave. There could not be significant antisemitism in the Australian left without its proactive minimisation and denial by antizionist activist Jews.
Mary Kery12 February at 06:29 am
Thankyou for reminding me about Ahavat Yisrael.
However if we are to do no harm(even indirect) to our fellow Jews I think Sara should express her views as an dividual not representing a “major” group because this just confirms to many Jew/Israeli haters their feelings are acceptable & legitimate.
jg10 February at 06:32 am
Criticism of Israeli government policy is legitimate. However, antizionism, where it entails denying Israel’s right to exist, is incompatible with a two-state solution, which by definition affirms Israel as a sovereign Jewish state alongside a sovereign Islamic Palestinian state. If Israel’s right to exist is disavowed, Israel cannot be one of the two states, and the political outcome implied is therefore post-Israel rather than two-state. When this rejection of Jewish self-determination is combined with the acceptance or neglect of nationalist and exclusionary regimes elsewhere in the region, it cannot credibly be framed as a neutral human-rights position; it reflects a selective moral framework in which Jews alone are denied a right routinely recognised for others.
Simonne W8 February at 12:26 pm
Sarah Schwartz identifies as antizionist, and her views sit well outside those held by the majority of the mainstream Jewish community in Australia. The JCA works alongside activist networks such as APAN, positioning themselves as Jewish voices within those movements. Yet most Jewish Australians do not see them as representative of their lived reality, concerns, or sense of communal responsibility. These voices are often elevated in public discourse in ways that lend legitimacy to antizionist campaigns, while the experiences and perspectives of the broader Jewish community are sidelined or dismissed. When Lilian described Sarah as an anti-Jew, it reflected the real pain and fear felt by many Jews who experience attacks on Israel and Zionism as attacks on their identity, safety, and collective history. From a secular Jewish perspective, this conversation is not about questioning anyone’s Jewishness in a religious sense. It is about the responsibility we have to one another as a community, to stand against harm directed at Jews, and to consider how public positions impact the safety, cohesion, and wellbeing of Jewish life. What I find striking, Nomi, is the energy spent debating this framing rather than confronting those driving hostility toward our community right now.
Concerned8 February at 12:03 am
perhaps anti-Zionism is not the same as antizionism because one was a conversation involving jews and the latter is about the elimination of the Jewish state?
Andy Alcock7 February at 10:33 am
I think your support for the right of Sarah Schwartz to criticise the crimes of Israel against the Palestinian people & not claim she is not a Jew.
What I don’t understand though is why you seem content to say that you are a Zionist.
Palestinians have endured genocide & ethnic cleansing for decades.
When Albert Einstein saw how Zionist settlers were treating Palestinians in 1923, he stopped calling himself a Zionist. He also said that the tactics of the Irgun Zionist terrorist gang were no different to those of the Nazis & the fascists.
He was a progressive & “righteous” Jew who worked for peace & equality.
RALPH Renard7 February at 01:32 am
A brilliant and sobering article to be read and observed by all.
Judy6 February at 04:38 pm
“At the core of Jewish life sits a principle that is both deceptively simple and brutally demanding: Love for a fellow Jew.”
Thank you, Nomi, for reminding us.
“I would never, ever hurl that accusation at a fellow Jew, and trust me it’s not because I am too polite or too conflict averse. But rather, because Judaism itself does not allow it.”
Smiles of agreement: I sure wish we-all would remember that being polite, honourable, and respectful are “Jewish things” – and human things – we-all should value and practice more often than we do.
In response to the recent Invasion Day terror / hate crime against First Peoples in WA (Perth), Senator McCarthy said: “We need to look out for one another. We need to care for one another. We need to be kinder to one another.”
May we remember Senator McCarthy’s and Nomi Kaltmann’s messages, especially when it is most difficult to do so, and extend the Jewish principle to all people, everywhere, always, all ways: lead with kindness, honour, and respect to all, whether Jewish or not.
Peace, Judy