“This Is Australia’s Moment to Confront Antisemitism”
- Hatikvah Australia
- May 8
- 2 min read
All across the Jewish Community, people are working on submissions to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. This is a crucial undertaking at an historical time. At Hatikvah, however, we feel that the unique perspective of Israelis who have made their home in Australia, is missing. Hence our new initiative to bring the information in Hebrew and run hands-on workshop to enable you to make a difference. Please read on to find out the WHY and the HOW.
We are running an information Zoom session on Wednesday, May 13 at 5.00pm. The session will be in Hebrew with Lawyer, Dr Niv Tadmor, and moderated by Avishag Rager.
This zoom session will be follows by two in-person workshops to assist with writing your submission. These sessions will be held at Beit Tarbut on May 27 at 7.30pm and on May 31 at 4.00pm at Shelanu. Registrations essential.
Australia is at a defining moment. The establishment of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is an acknowledgment that antisemitism is not a marginal issue, but a growing national concern that affects the safety, dignity and belonging of Jewish Australians.
Royal Commissions are the most powerful investigative process in Australian public life. They do more than collect stories — they create an official historical record, examine institutional failures, and shape future laws, policies and public standards. The Commission has specifically called for submissions from members of the public about their lived experiences and observations of antisemitism in schools, universities, workplaces, online spaces and everyday life.
Every submission helps ensure that what Jewish and Israeli Australians have experienced is documented, recognised and impossible to dismiss or minimise. Patterns of abuse, intimidation, exclusion and fear cannot be fully understood unless people are willing to speak about them. Even experiences that may seem “small” — hiding a Jewish symbol, avoiding certain places, feeling unsafe at school or work, hearing antisemitic slurs, or remaining silent out of fear — are important pieces of evidence.
If people do not contribute, others will shape the narrative in their place.
This Commission will influence how Australia understands antisemitism for years to come. Its findings may affect education, policing, university governance, online regulation, community safety and social cohesion. Future generations will look back at this moment and ask whether Australians were prepared to stand up against hatred before it became further normalised.
Making a submission is not only about recounting pain. It is about protecting the future of Australia as a tolerant, democratic and pluralistic society.
You do not need legal expertise. You do not need a high-profile story. You simply need to tell the truth about what you have seen, experienced or witnessed.
The voices recorded now may help shape the Australia we leave to the next generation.
