Australia’s anti-Semitic shame called out on world stage

Jewish-Australians are being threatened with the most violent wave of anti-Semitism in the world, sparking criticism of the federal government’s “failure of leadership” on the crisis.

Exclusive: Jewish Australians are being threatened with the most violent wave of anti-Semitism in the world, sparking criticism of the Federal government’s “failure of leadership” to stamp out the crisis.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry President Daniel Aghion addressed an anti-Semitism summit in New York this week and said while many of the issues facing the global Jewish community were similar, Australia was now experiencing an unparalleled “severity and frequency” of attacks.

“The particular issue in Australia that quite frankly we did not expect was the violent nature of the anti-Semitism,” he said.

“Nowhere else in the world is experiencing the level of violent hatred we’re experiencing.

“I find that extraordinary.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry President Daniel Aghion. Picture: David Geraghty

Remnants of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea after the fire. Picture: Supplied

Mr Aghion said he feared the growing tide of anti-Semitism directed at Australian Jews – including 10 firebombing attacks and attempts in eight months – would be used as a political football throughout the Federal election.

“I come to New York for an international conference and find the Australian position is so extreme that quite frankly it’s embarrassing,” he said.

Mr Aghion criticised the Federal Government’s “reactive approach” to the problem.

“One of the things we know is you can’t let it get out of the box, because once it’s out it’s very hard to contain, so when I talk about the government being reactive rather than proactive that’s what I’m talking about,” he said.

“The failure to stand up to anti-Semitism early and often to prevent it becoming a bigger problem than it might otherwise become, that’s where I see essentially a failure of leadership by our current federal government.”

The firebombed Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne, holds a ceremony where Rabbi Kohn blesses some of the items that were burned in the fire. Picture: Tony Gough

Mr Aghion spoke at the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Never is Now Summit during a live panel with counterparts from South Africa, the UK and Canada, which was also attended by Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal.

US-based ADL Vice President of International Policy Susan Heller Pinto said the level of violence in Australia had captured the attention of the Jewish community globally, particularly the Adass Israel Synagogue fire.

“In the last couple of months, while anti-Semitism remains at crisis point, the number of very, very violent incidents has stabilised somewhat except in Australia,” she said.

“In Australia we saw some audacious, scary, violent incidents in the last three to four months …

“So it’s a worldwide phenomenon that anti-Semitism has been unceasing and at the highest levels anyone has experienced in their lifetime since October 2023 but in the last couple of months I’d say in Australia the incidents have been so public, so alarming and really stand out for Jews worldwide.”

Tributes at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. Picture: NewsWire David Geraghty

Other international members of the panel described how in many cases, they had seen an initial spike in anti-Semitism that then subsided and reduced again with the successful negotiation of a ceasefire.

“But (in Australia) most of these attacks have happened since the more recent ceasefire was negotiated and they have made it very clear to us that what we are now experiencing is somewhat divorced from the immediate nature of the Middle East being a political hotspot,” Mr Aghion said.

He said the Jewish community had been buoyed by the outpouring of support from individual Australians in the response to each attack.

Originally published as Australia’s anti-Semitic shame called out on world stage