In the midst of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, I am highly aware that Jews in Australian society have never been so visible, and that the question of antisemitism has never been so fraught. Almost every other day there is an accusation of antisemitism against political activists or cultural figures. Jews have been splashed across front pages talking about their experiences of fear and harassment, and social media is awash with both accusations of antisemitism and very real antisemitic content. Jews are not just more visible than usual, as political agents and victims, they’re hypervisible—as political footballs and the subject of persistent media controversies.

There is a widespread sense around Australia that antisemitism is rising. In my role with the Jewish Council of Australia (a new progressive, independent, expert Jewish body), I cop it almost every day on social media: from people blaming all Jews for Israel’s actions; from the far right; from Zionists calling us Nazi collaborators and worse. There has been a spike in incidents of antisemitism reported to Jewish communal bodies since October last year. However, given the conflation of criticism of Israel and genuine anti-Jewish racism, these statistics are difficult to parse.[1] Many Jews feel as if their friends, colleagues and even strangers are turning on them, and they worry about their place in Australian society. The Jewish Community Security Group summarised this situation in December 2023: