About 80% of Jewish women in Australia have personally experienced antisemitism or seen it directed at a close family member over the past 2 and a half years, according to a survey presented to the country’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. The commission is in its second week of public hearings, which began following the terrorist attack in Bondi, Sydney, during the most recent Hanukkah holiday. Fifteen people were killed in the attack.
The survey was conducted by the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia between July 2025 and February 2026 and included more than 600 participants. According to the findings, 81% of respondents said they or a close relative had experienced antisemitism since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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A rally in support of Australian Jews, held in Melbourne after the arson attack
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The survey also found that 20% of the women or their relatives had experienced physical violence or verbal abuse, while 69% said they had been accused of “genocide” after identifying as Jewish, Israeli or Zionist.
Some participants described serious incidents they had personally experienced. One said she was verbally abused at a hospital in Queensland. Another testified that her daughter, a high school student, “was spat on, beaten, held down and choked while being shouted at.”
More than half of respondents said they had heard claims that the October 7 attack was “justified” or did not happen at all. One survey participant said: “One of my best friends questioned the sexual assaults and the murder of women on October 7.”
Wreaths and candles were placed at the scene of the attack at Bondi Beach
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Shirley Leader, vice president of the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, presented the survey findings to the commission. She said the denial of sexual assaults committed against women in Israel during Hamas’ attack was especially hurtful to Jewish women. “Such denial sometimes comes even from so-called feminist and progressive spaces,” Leader said. “Solidarity with Jewish women has been completely eroded.”
In recent weeks, the commission has heard testimony from dozens of citizens and organizations about rising antisemitism across Australia. Some hearings were held behind closed doors because of national security concerns and ongoing criminal proceedings.
Michele Goldman, CEO of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, also testified before the commission, saying that since October 7 — and even more so after the Bondi terrorist attack in December 2025 — the organization has been forced to significantly expand its support services for the Jewish community.
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Wreaths and candles at the scene of the attack at Bondi Beach
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Goldman described a series of antisemitic incidents at schools in New South Wales. In one case, she said, a 10-year-old Jewish boy “was pushed to the ground and beaten” by another student, who showed him a picture of Adolf Hitler and described him as an “idol.”
She said it took “many months” before the school agreed to meet with Jewish community representatives to discuss the incident. Eventually, it was decided to hold tours at the Sydney Jewish Museum and launch teacher training programs on antisemitism. However, Goldman warned that Jewish organizations do not have enough resources to address the scale of the problem. “A broader systemic solution is needed,” she said.