A new report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry records 1,654 antisemitic incidents between October 2024 and September 2025, still about three times higher than before October seventh. Overall numbers are slightly down from last year’s record, but serious attacks like arson and vandalism have risen, including the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and multiple attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues in Sydney.
REPORT FROM ‘DOWN UNDER’
The report warns that anti-Jewish racism has moved from the fringes into the mainstream, on campuses, in workplaces and in the cultural sector. Jewish students are staying away from lectures, parents say their children are abused on public transport, and many adults now think twice before wearing visible Jewish symbols.
"After October 7, suddenly the radicals, and not only the radicals in the Islamic community, a vast majority of the Islamic community started, you know, with their everyday anti Semitism, and they have allies to justify it," explained Australian influenber Avi Yemini.
Inside the community, the response is mixed. Some are drawing closer to Jewish life, with fuller synagogues and packed aliyah information nights, while others simply try to keep their heads down and avoid any talk of Israel in professional settings.
"The future of Australia is actually quite dark," Yemini added. "And I have always seen myself and described myself as a proud Australian patriot, so I hope fighting back is the way. But I'm not gonna lie, I feel like I have a backup plan."
At the same time, a Senate committee was expected to hear submissions about alleged systemic anti-Israel bias at the ABC, from combative interviews with Israeli officials to hours of airtime for activists accusing Israel of genocide, while detailed legal rebuttals and reports on Hamas abuses receive little or no coverage. The discussion was tabled at the last minute, but community advocates argue that when the national broadcaster repeatedly frames Israel as a villain, it helps normalize hostility towards Australian Jews.
The ECAJ says antisemitism is now “mainstream,” with elements of the far-right, hard-left and Islamist movements increasingly aligned in their hostility to Jews and Zionism. For many Australian Jews, that convergence has raised a painful question about whether this country is still the safe haven it once felt like.
“What’s alarming is the severity of some of these things - firebombing synagogues and Jewish businesses. They are both very triggering things for our community," added Miriam Bass OAM, a Cictorian councillor and ECAJ member.
Said Gul Pohatu, best known as the "Hebrew Hammer: "I believe that we should just be proud of who we are and not be ashamed of our identity, because if we hide who we are, then no one will understand what we're like."
For now, Australia’s Jews are tightening security and challenging media bias, but also insisting on one simple message: They will not disappear, and remain determined to stay visible and proud of who they are.