As a nation, we cannot ignore our beating heart and the fundamental questions of who we are and what we’re becoming. Australia prides itself on being a land of safety, freedom and mutual respect. But the rise of anti-Semitism is a betrayal of those values.
During World War I, Australians stood shoulder to shoulder with the British in the fight against the Ottoman empire. This campaign not only liberated lands from oppressive rule but also paved the way for the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which formally recognised the Jewish people’s right to establish a homeland in their ancestral territory. Australia’s contributions to this chapter in history reflect the values of justice, freedom and self-determination that define our nation.
By helping to secure the conditions for Jewish self-determination, Australians upheld principles that offered hope to a people who had endured centuries of persecution. These efforts remind us of our shared history with Israel and the importance of standing against oppression – then and now. We must reject any attempt to erase the Jewish connection to their homeland and remain steadfast in the fight for justice, freedom and respect for all peoples.
More than 8000 Jewish Australians have fought in our wars to protect our freedoms. Jewish Australians have contributed enormously in nation building; they’ve enriched our society immeasurably. As an Aboriginal Australian, I deeply value their contributions and stand with them against the rising tide of anti-Semitism.
It’s been shocking and deeply saddening to witness the surge in anti-Semitism in Australia – a trend driven by misinformation and harmful myths. These include denying the Jewish people’s connection to Israel, misrepresenting anti-Semitism as opposition to “Zionist colonialism” or “genocide”, and reviving baseless conspiracy theories of Jewish control and subversion.
There is only one Jewish state in the world where Hebrew, the language of the Bible and evidenced in the Dead Sea scrolls, is spoken. This is not merely a linguistic curiosity but a profound testament to the Jewish people’s unbroken connection to their ancestral homeland.
For millennia, their language, faith and culture have remained rooted to the land of Israel. This bond is etched in sacred texts and archaeological evidence, forming an undeniable link that cannot be undone by ideological rhetoric and the chanting of protesters.
As an Aboriginal woman, I understand that profound connection between people and land. Aboriginal Australians have maintained this bond for over 60,000 years, despite displacement and colonisation. Similarly, the Jewish connection to Israel spans more than 4000 years.
For those who question the Jewish connection to Israel, even the Koran – written over 600 years after Jesus – acknowledges the Jewish people’s divinely ordained link to the land. The term “Israel” appears in the Koran in reference to the Children of Israel (Bani Isra’il in Arabic) approximately 40 times across various chapters.
Israel did not suddenly emerge in 1948. For centuries, the region was under colonial rule of the Ottoman empire. After World War I, the British mandate ended, and the United Nations voted for a two-state solution: one Arab state and one Jewish state. Israel’s legitimacy is historically, legally and spiritually grounded.
Denying this connection is not only inaccurate but harmful. It is akin to denying the spiritual bond Aboriginal Australians have with our lands. Earlier this year, I stood in Israel and witnessed the pain following the Hamas terror attacks of October 7. That horror underscores the threats Jewish people face globally.
Israel is not an apartheid state. It is a democracy where two million Arabs live as free citizens alongside seven million Jewish people. Arab Israelis have full civil rights and actively participate in the Israel Defence Forces, government and broader society. These facts counter accusations of systemic oppression.
This is a dishonest means of creating a “respectable” pretext to vilify and intimidate ordinary Jewish Australians, to “legitimise” attacks on their property and buildings, and to exclude them from equal participation in our society.
This impulse shares similarities with the 19th century pogroms in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as well as the demonisation that later enabled the Holocaust. The Jews get accused of whatever is considered the worst sin of the day. In Communist Russia, Jews were condemned as capitalists. In Nazi Germany they were condemned as communists.
Anti-Semitism is taking hold far too rapidly in Australia – to the extent that neo-Nazis are now emboldened enough to display a huge banner on the steps of the Victorian parliament claiming “Jews Hate Freedom”. And far-left protesters now march our streets claiming Jews are genocide supporters. It’s a slippery slope, and our once tolerant society is sliding faster than most.
The federal government’s failure to address this growing hatred has bolstered extremists. What began as hateful graffiti has escalated to violent acts, such as the burning of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. These acts echo the horrors of 1930s Germany.
The narrative of Jewish dominance, such an embedded trope of anti-Semitism, is a baseless conspiracy theory designed to vilify and isolate Jewish communities. If Jewish people truly controlled governments, as extremists claim, international bodies such as the UN would not consistently criticise Israel, while ignoring Hamas’s atrocities, including the holding of more than 100 hostages to this day.
Anti-Semitism accelerates our moral decay. Australians must unite against this rising hatred by rejecting false narratives and fostering understanding and compassion. As billions across the world have just celebrated Christmas – the birth of a Jewish baby, Jesus – let’s reflect on the power of truth and love to overcome hate.
Nova Peris is a former senator, dual Australian Olympian and gold medallist, and an inductee into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame.
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