Australian Jews feel ‘very unsafe’ amid surging attacks, warns antisemitism envoy

SYDNEY, Australia — Jewish Australians feel “very unsafe” after a surge in threats, vandalism and violence that started with the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas, Australia’s antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal said Thursday.

A year after being appointed to her role, Segal released a string of recommendations for combating antisemitism while decrying an upswing in violence against the Jewish community in Australia.

In a 16-page report, she recommended cutting funding for universities that fail to protect Jewish students and screening visa applicants and non-citizens for extremist views.

She also called for hate and intimidation laws to be strengthened where needed, and for improved education, including about the Holocaust.

Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza, Segal reported a “deeply troubling” increase in antisemitism, citing a 300 percent rise in reported incidents in one year.

“We’ve seen cars being torched, synagogues being torched, individual Jews harassed and attacked, and that is completely unacceptable,” she told a news conference.

Segal, who was named as a special envoy to combat antisemitism by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, pointed to an arson attack at a Melbourne synagogue on Friday.

In other incidents on the same day in Melbourne, about 20 protesters swarmed an Israeli-owned restaurant, and cars were set on fire and daubed with antisemitic graffiti in another part of the city.

“These are not isolated events, and they form part of a broader pattern of intimidation and violence that is making Jewish Australians feel very unsafe,” Segal said. “This should concern every Australian, because the safety and dignity of one community affects us all.”

‘Tipping point’

Jewish neighborhoods in Melbourne and Sydney have been hit by a wave of antisemitic vandalism since late last year.

Masked arsonists notably firebombed a different Melbourne synagogue in December, prompting the government to create a federal task force targeting antisemitism.

Segal was appointed in response to growing tensions during the war in Gaza as pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists took to the streets and university campuses, with some slogans sparking concern of a rise in extremism and antisemitism.

Her report said universities should be made accountable for antisemitism and for creating a climate free of intimidation, with the threat of funding being withheld from those that fail to act.

It also urged efforts to crack down on the spread of hate online, while vowing to monitor media organizations to encourage “accurate, fair and responsible reporting.”

“Antisemitism in Australia has reached a tipping point that threatens social harmony, undermines trust in institutions and marginalizes Jewish Australian citizens,” the report warned.

“As the world’s oldest hatred, antisemitism will never be totally defeated but, with resolve, unity, leadership and purpose, it can be marginalized and returned to the fringes of society.”

Australia’s prime minister said he was “committed” to working constructively with the envoy on her recommendations.

“There is no place in Australia for antisemitism. The kind of hatred and violence that we’ve seen on our streets recently is despicable and it won’t be tolerated,” Albanese said.

“There’s a number of things that can be implemented quickly,” he said. “There are a number of things that will require work over a period of time.”

“This is something that government needs to work with civil society on at all levels, and each and every day and every week and every month and every year to make sure that antisemitism is pushed to the margins.”

Reuters and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.