Antisemitism in Australia: from isolated incidents to a systemic norm
Australia was recently considered one of the safest countries for Jews. Today we see a different reality. Synagogue arsons, kosher restaurant pogroms, hateful graffiti on the streets, parents afraid to send their children to Jewish schools. These are no longer isolated incidents – they have become everyday occurrences.
The chronicle of the past few months reads like a crime thriller.
- December 6, 2024, Melbourne — arson of the Adass Israel synagogue, one person injured, holy books destroyed.
- January 17, 2025, Sydney — cars burned at the home of a former Jewish organization leader, with “die Jews” graffiti left behind.
- January 21, 2025, Sydney (Maroubra) — arson of a kindergarten near a Jewish school and synagogue, walls painted with antisemitic slogans.
- February 2025, Sydney — Liverpool Hospital staff recorded and published a video threatening to kill Jewish patients.
- July 4, 2025, Melbourne — arson of the doors of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue during prayer; about 20 people were inside. The same evening, a crowd vandalized the Israeli restaurant Miznon in the city center.
- August 3, 2025, Sydney — a march across the Harbour Bridge: more than 60,000 people with slogans against Israel, Palestinian and Hamas flags.
- August 11, 2025 — the Australian government officially announced its decision to recognize the Palestinian state.
- August 24, 2025, across Australia — national marches for Palestine: over 40 demonstrations in major cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, etc.
On August 26, the Australian authorities announced that Iran was behind the antisemitic attacks. Canberra expelled the Iranian ambassador and three diplomats, closed its embassy in Tehran, and recognized the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. According to intelligence services, Iran was behind the synagogue and restaurant arsons, using local perpetrators.
However, the Iranian trail does not explain the overall rise in antisemitism, which coincided with the Labour Party coming to power in May 2022. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong repeat the same words after each incident about zero tolerance for hate and antisemitism, but in practice, they do nothing. Radicals perceive this as indulgence. Despite official declarations, the everyday reality remains the same: threats, hate marches, and the feeling that antisemitism in Australia has become the norm.
