‘Abused for my beliefs’: Jewish CEO ‘shaken’ after shareholder’s anti-Semitic rants

The former CEO of an ASX listed company has been left ‘humiliated’ after its largest shareholder targeted him with anti-Semitic abuse for his role in the Israeli Defence Force reserves in the aftermath of the October 7 atrocities.

The outgoing Jewish CEO of an AI digital company has been left “shaken” after its largest shareholder targeted him with anti-Semitic abuse and branded him a “murderous c**t” for his role in the Israeli Defence Force reserves in the aftermath of the October 7 atrocities.

Businessman Idan, 31, who asked to be called only by his first name for fear of reprisals, has been targeted with abusive messages through WhatsApp and his Facebook profiles in which the shareholder of ASX listed company UNITH calls Jews “murderous c***ts” for their involvement in the Gaza war.

“Karma is coming to get you Jew’s (sic), you are murderous c***s, your time is coming,” it states.

Perth-based businessman Rolf Voulon sent Idan another post from a BBC bulletin stating the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the former Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif over alleged war crimes.

The post sent to his Facebook messenger, Idan says, threatens that because of his time as a major in the IDF, a warrant was also out for his arrest.

Perth-based businessman Rolf Voulon.

In a public attack shared on New Year’s Eve to HotCopper, Australia’s largest public investor stock market trading forum, Mr Voulon questions his military background writing under the alias Diabloracer: “Idan is an Israeli entrepreneur and former military officer, known for service in the Israeli Air Force and his involvement in various technology ventures.

“His career raises important questions regarding his potential role in military operations in Gaza, particularly concerning the humanitarian impact of those actions.”

He also wrote that Idan served in the Israeli Air Force for seven and a half years achieving the rank of captain.

“He has previously described his role as part of mission control division responsible for overseeing and co-ordinating air admissions and managing operations to ensure the success of military strategies. In his division he would have had significant responsibilities given his critical role overseeing air operations,” he states.

Rolf Voulon sent the former CEO of UNITH posts to his Facebook Messenger account referring to his time as a major in the IDF hinting a warrant was also out for his arrest. Picture: Supplied

One of the anti-Semitic tropes included calling Jews "murderous c***s". Picture: Supplied

Idan, who spends time between Australia and his home in Barcelona, said the anti-Semitic tropes have left him “upset” and “shaken.”

“I’m being attacked and publicly humiliated for just my religion and my beliefs, I feel really harassed and abused and I want this to stop, I don’t know how to stop it,” he said.

“Every time I ask it just gets worse,” said the outgoing CEO of the company whose director is based in Sydney and investor relations team in Melbourne.

“I’ve never experienced so much racism and anger towards Jews since October 7, I never thought I would say that.

“But throughout the last three years, and more recently in the last few months, the amount of nonsense that I’ve heard about Jews controlling the finance market is incredible,” he said.

“These are posts attacking my religion, my histories and Israelis.

“They’re not for anything professional, about how the company is growing, or how we are developing the technology.

“It’s upsetting, I feel afraid and it has left me shaken”.

The company said the dispute was between Mr Voulon and Idan who has now left.

“This is a private matter between a shareholder and a previous employee of UNITH, as Idan is no longer employed by UNITH, - this in no way relates to UNITH as a company,” a spokesman said.

Voulon insisted his posts on HotCopper were seeking clarification. Picture: Supplied

Mr Voulon insisted his ‘private’ messages to Idan were not anti-Semitic nor threatening.

“My post on HotCopper regarding Idan’s involvement in military operations during his time with the Israeli Air Force and as CEO of UNITH raised questions about the ethical implications of his military service, particularly his potential involvement in operations in Gaza that have been criticised for causing civilian casualties,” he said.

“At no point was this a personal attack or an anti-Semitic comment, and it was certainly not a generalised criticism of the Jewish community,” he told the paper.

“My questions were focused solely on his role in the military and the discrepancy in his public statements about his military titles. I also raised the point that he was recalled to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while serving as the CEO of UNITH, which in my opinion, raised concerns about how such dual responsibility could impact his leadership in a public company.”

“My intent was purely to seek transparency,” he said.

“My comments reflect my personal opinion regarding role in these military operations.”

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Originally published as ‘Abused for my beliefs’: Jewish CEO ‘shaken’ after shareholder’s anti-Semitic rants