Witnesses Describe Antisemitism Experiences at Australian Royal Commission Hearings

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion heard testimony from eight witnesses on the fifth day of its public hearings in Sydney. Students, teachers and a volunteer phone counsellor described experiences of antisemitism including racial slurs, social ostracism and fear for personal safety.

A Jewish university student told the commission she was asked to leave her Canberra share house in May 2024 after her flatmates said they could not reconcile her views on current events with their values. The student, who taught Hebrew at a community centre and was involved in Jewish organisations, said she was told the house was no longer a safe space for them to discuss politics.

She packed her belongings and moved out immediately. The student said she had gone through a process of concealing her Jewish identity to avoid antisemitism, including not disclosing attendance at Shabbat dinners and removing her Star of David necklace.

She later wrote to her former housemates stating she was a critic of the Israeli government and its military actions. The student told the commission her housemates had presumed she supported actions she did not. Another witness, a teacher librarian who converted to Judaism in 2022, said he feared for his life while marching with a Jewish LGBTQIA+ group at a Sydney parade.

He told his sister he loved her beforehand in case anything happened. The witness said protesters called the group genocide supporters and chanted "Free Palestine" as they walked along Oxford Street. The witness said the group carried no Israeli flags or symbols, though some participants wore a Star of David.

He described the experience as one of the scariest moments of his life and said he felt a "guttural fear" that the group would be attacked. The parade organisers removed another group from marching over social media posts directed at the Jewish LGBTQIA+ participants.

Other witnesses included a Victorian Jewish studies teacher who described anti-Zionism as denying Jews a central part of their identity. A non-Jewish lawyer reported being called a "sneaky Jew" and a "Jewish rat" at a Sydney pub. One witness said she experienced antisemitism from her own friends and heard comments about gassing Jews while at school.

A volunteer on a crisis counselling hotline told the commission she became anxious about answering calls after an immediate increase in antisemitic calls following the October 7 2023 terrorist attack in Israel. The volume of such calls eventually forced her to give up her role.

Public hearings will continue next week with a focus on the definition of antisemitism. A progressive Jewish group that does not support the definition adopted by the commission has been granted limited leave to appear and cross-examine expert witnesses.

A second block of hearings beginning May 25 will examine the December 14 terror attack at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, most of them Jewish. The commission will review the terrorism threat level in the lead-up to the attack, the conduct of security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and how intelligence about individuals known to authorities is shared.

The inquiry will also assess security arrangements for the Bondi Beach event and what was known about the attackers.