Australia is no longer the Australia I grew up in.
In 2024, my brother’s home was vandalised with “Free Gaza” and “Jews kill babies” scrawled across his car window. Antisemitism in Australia is spreading like wildfire and becoming the norm.
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This is a guest essay written by Chavi Israel, a Jewish Studies educator at Moriah College in Sydney, Australia.
You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Editor’s Note: A Jewish childcare center was torched near a Sydney synagogue on Tuesday. An Australian task force dedicated to combating antisemitic attacks has already received 124 reports since it was established last month. Police in Australia believe a string of antisemitic attacks may be coordinated by foreign actors.
My friend Adina “made aliyah”1 as soon as we graduated from school, right after her seminary year in Israel.
For her, there was no turning back.
A few years later, my friend Sara did the same.
I was waiting for my turn too.
But my life didn’t follow the same trajectory as my friends.
After finishing my incredible gap year learning in Tzfat, I returned home to Melbourne to do a year of shlichut — a year of giving back to my community. Then, like the stereotypical Chabad girl “in the system” (though I do not consider myself one), I got married.
Once married, we settled in Sydney so my husband could finish his nursing degree. Then he did his graduate year, and then this and that, and well, yes, you guessed it — we are still here.
My dream of “making aliyah” was pushed aside and was no longer a priority. Instead, my priority became, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe said, “Make Eretz Yisrael2 here.” I went straight into education, feeling that my mission and purpose was to teach my students Judaism (which I do) and try to be an example.
Education has always been a passion of mine and fast forward nearly five years later, I am still in the same position, which I love.
But then October 7th happened.
And life was never the same. Never.
And ever so slowly but surely, antisemitism started to rear its ugly head — yet again.
Not that it didn’t exist; it has always been around. Let’s face it: Antisemitism is a law of nature, the oldest conspiracy theory that exists. But let’s just say, we (Aussie Jews) started to feel it. And feel it we did.
From social media to the terrorist organisation Hamas being graffitied all over Bondi Road, to “Israel is evil” and “The IDF is committing genocide” stickers plastered in Bondi Junction, to encampments on university campuses, protests in the city, to everything in between.
Australia was no longer the Australia that I grew up in.
I love when people romanticise the “good old days,” as if everything was better back then. After interviewing Dr. Ron Weiser for “The Empowered Jew” podcast, he brought to my attention that Australia does, unfortunately, have a long history of antisemitism.
Yet, I can say that in my 20-plus years of life, I cannot remember such a rise. From perhaps hearing about the occasional “F*ck you Jew” to some graffiti here and there, these instances felt few and far between.
Now, they are spreading like wildfire and becoming the norm.
In November 2024, my brother’s home was vandalised with “Free Gaza” and “Jews kill babies” scrawled across his car window.
When my sister-in-law sent me the photos, I felt sick to my stomach. This wasn’t just an attack on them; it was an attack on all Jews. Whether it was targeted or random, the messages screamed loud and clear. What some disturbingly label as “freedom of speech,” which was clearly hate speech, had escalated into an act of hate. My sister-in-law was genuinely terrified and decided to move out, especially since my brother was away at the time.
It always starts with words, but it never ends there.
I am sickened and disgusted by what happened to my brother and sister-in-law’s home yesterday morning.
For anyone still claiming that “anti-Zionism” is separate from antisemitism, this is yet another stark reminder that facts consistently prove otherwise. The rise of anti-Zionism directly impacts Jewish people — not that it ever should. What’s happening in Israel should not be leading to acts of hate against Jews in Australia.
For those dismissing this as the actions of a “bunch of stupid cowards” that mean nothing, you could not be more wrong.
This is how antisemitism works:
Demonisation: It begins with hateful tropes, such as “Jews kill babies.”
Isolation: Jews are made to feel ashamed, embarrassed, or scared to display their Jewish identity publicly, eg: covering up their Star of David necklace or removing their kippah3 when they are “out of the area.”
Violence: This isolation escalates to physical attacks, for example Jews being assaulted on the streets of Amsterdam, or the murder of Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan in Dubai this past November.
When incidents like these happen it makes us want to hide, to feel ashamed or afraid; that’s exactly when we need to stand tall. Now is the time to be loud and proud about who we are. No one can diminish our pride or identity. We are proud Jews and proud Zionists, unapologetic about who we are and what we stand for!
Little did I know that a mere nine days later, the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne would be firebombed. These stories are horrifying. Shocking — actually, not. I hate the “I told you so,” but I can almost hear my great-grandparents, who escaped Europe and the horrors of the Holocaust, saying: “Leave when you can.”
I can picture my friends who’ve “made aliyah” asking: “What more of a wake-up call do you need?”
Our ancestors would have given anything to have Israel.
We have it — not just as Eretz Hakodesh4, but as a safe haven, a refuge. This is what Theodor Herzl5 dreamed of. I’d rather be surrounded by enemies in my own country than surrounded by enemies in a foreign land.
As for governments, I have so much to say — and yet, nothing. I don’t trust you. I never have. Call it intergenerational trauma, but how can I believe you have my safety in mind when you allow public protests to spiral into chaos?
You call it freedom of speech. I call it freedom to hate. These protests don’t just make me feel uncomfortable; they make me feel unsafe. We’ve seen time and again how these demonstrations lead to violence. I don’t need to remind you.
The police? Useless. They stand there, allowing hate and havoc to take over. They do nothing, say nothing. They’re too intimidated by the bullies and instead deal with the underdog. Move the busker along. Arrest the Jew “for his own safety.”
In Australia specifically, the response has been weak. Graffiti inciting Jew-hatred should lead to consequences; holding a terrorist flag should lead to consequences; screaming anti-Jewish slurs should lead to consequences. Fines, jail time, deportations if necessary. If you don’t enforce these measures, you let bad behaviour repeat. Again. And again. And again.
You need to take these so-called “minor” incidents seriously because they’re not minor. Nazi Germany didn’t appear overnight. Evil creeps in slowly, until one day, even as a Jew, you don’t realise what’s happening — until it’s too late.
This isn’t about hurting Jewish feelings. This is about something far bigger: The demonisation, isolation, and violence against Jews. We have seen the violence. Antisemitism isn’t ordinary bigotry. It’s unique — an anomaly, just like the Jewish People.
It doesn’t matter how privileged some Jews may appear. A Jew is a Jew is a Jew. One day, we’re in the highest echelons of society. The next, we’re sent to the dogs. Hasidic, secular, Zionist, anti-Zionist — the antisemites don’t care. In this way, they don’t discriminate. Antisemitism is a law of nature. A conspiracy theory that never dies.
We, as Jews, need to stay empowered and strong. We are strong; we are the People of the Book. We’ve endured this time and time again. We will be okay. But we also need to wake up. Keep your eyes open. Stay vigilant. Take these incidents seriously. Don’t trust me — trust history.
Call me Negative Nancy, Realist Randy, or Pragmatic Penny — whatever you like — but what’s happening in this country is not okay.
In the end, the only thing we truly have is each other.
Hebrew for immigrating to Israel
Hebrew for the Land of Israel
A brimless Jewish skullcap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the customary requirement that the head be covered
Hebrew for the Holy Land
An Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist, lawyer, writer, playwright and political activist who was the father of modern political Zionism
Thank you for writing this, and, from someone on the other side of the world, hang in there. My heart breaks whenever I see an article in the Times of Israel about violence in Australia. And hateful words ARE violence and intimidation.
My homeland of Canada is no better. And in the U.S., where I now live, we are heading down the same road.