The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) has told Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism that government rhetoric, Islamist extremism, and coordinated “lawfare” campaigns have fundamentally altered Jewish life in Australia.
In a 32-page submission shared with The Jerusalem Post, the group says that many Australian Jews are now considering making aliyah because they no longer feel confident in the country’s future. The submission comes just weeks after former AJA president Dr. David Adler announced he had moved to Israel, citing rising antisemitism and security fears as reasons.
The central focus of the submission is that Jewish life in Australia has fundamentally changed, and not for the better.
One noticeable change is the unprecedented increase in visible security at Jewish events. AJA notes that this has become so commonplace at Jewish events that many members of the community now feel uncomfortable attending events that do not have visible security arrangements in place.
AJA has never received any government funding for security expenses and, therefore, incurs significant costs to keep its members safe.
Political concerns and fears of public backlash result in venue cancellations
AJA also noted that, for security reasons, the locations of AJA events are not publicly advertised, and addresses are provided only to registered attendees after they have been vetted and, in many cases, only shortly before the event.
While these arrangements are necessary, AJA said they create significant logistical difficulties and are unlike the arrangements required for any other community in Australia. On several occasions, details of AJA events have been leaked, resulting in pressure being placed on venues not to proceed with bookings, the submission adds.
Because of political concerns and the fears of public backlash, many venues are unwilling to host Jewish events, AJA said. Recently, the Queensland Cricketers’ Club declined a booking request from AJA to host an event discussing antisemitism featuring British author Melanie Phillips. The venue cited concerns that hosting the event could be perceived as controversial and could attract negative publicity.
AJA said these experiences demonstrate that antisemitism affects not only individual Jewish Australians but also the ability of Jewish organizations to conduct normal community activities. “Security concerns, venue reluctance, secrecy requirements, and event disruptions have become a routine part of Jewish communal life in Australia,” it said.
Effects of ‘lawfare’
Another aspect of Jewish life that has changed is the increasing use of lawfare.
This relatively new phenomenon has become commonplace since October 7, 2023. “Lawfare” refers to the strategic use of legal, regulatory, and administrative processes to intimidate opponents, disrupt organizations, impose costs, consume resources, or achieve political objectives.
AJA said it has observed a significant increase in complaints, investigations, and regulatory actions initiated in connection with Jewish advocacy and pro-Israel activity. Complaints connected to AJA’s communal and advocacy work have been lodged with bodies as diverse as a local council, medical regulator, anti-discrimination agency, and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
It said these complaints are designed to burden Jewish organizations and their representatives with time-consuming and resource-intensive processes.
A notable example involves Australian Jewish Association Tzedakah (AJAT), a charity focused on combating antisemitism.
Anti-Israel activists launched a coordinated campaign seeking to have AJAT’s Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status revoked. The campaign involved repeated complaints to the ACNC and other authorities and sought to portray AJAT and AJA as a single organization despite them being separate entities with distinct legal structures and purposes.
It is important to note that, regardless of the outcome of such complaints, the process itself imposes significant costs on Jewish organizations.
AJA itself has been targeted by such techniques. Since October 7, it has received approximately a dozen legal threats, including several Concerns Notices issued by the same law firm.
There were dozens of complaints lodged with the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) in 2024 and 2025 against Adler. None related to clinical care but rather to his work on behalf of AJA and the Jewish community.
AJA CEO Robert Gregory was similarly unsuccessfully targeted following his appointment by Waverley Council to its Multicultural Advisory Committee.
While the complaints rarely succeed, “their cumulative effect should not be underestimated,” said the AJA.
“They consume significant time and resources, impose personal stress on those targeted, and risk discouraging Jewish Australians from participating in public life, community leadership, and democratic debate.
“AJA submits that the strategic use of complaints processes against Jewish organizations and community representatives is an emerging issue that warrants careful consideration by the Royal Commission.”
Threats of violence
Of course, there is also significant discussion of threats within the submission.
One such threat against Gregory and Adler resulted in the first arrest by the Australian Federal Police’s Special Operation Avalite task force, which was established to combat antisemitism.
The threat – a message with a picture of a noose and the words “if you dare show up at the Senate committee, you will all die” – was made on the eve of their appearance before a Senate hearing examining proposed misinformation laws. The offender was subsequently convicted and sentenced.
Underneath a post announcing that Gregory had become a father to a baby girl, someone wrote, “Until we Aussies inevitably put all your genocidal kind in next-gen gas chambers.”
On occasions, authorities have failed to investigate threats against AJA.
Gregory told the Post that AFP recently decided to not take action after AJA reported an emailed threat to firebomb its office, which referred to “filthy f***ing Jews.”The email read: “Hey, what’s up? Hope you guys have a wonderful day, and I hope mine is as wonderful when your f***ing offices get firebombed, you filthy f***ing Jews.”
Gregory alerted the AFP the same day. The AFP responded to the AJA two days later, saying the email did not qualify as a direct threat and was not offensive enough to reach the threshold for an offense. An AFP Counter Terrorism Command detective sergeant emailed: “I understand you consider the email as offensive and menacing towards you and your office. However, unfortunately, the comment is unlikely to reach the offense (threshold).”
The AFP has now reversed its decision and has since opened an investigation.
Governmental failures
On the subject of law enforcement, the submission also sheds light on governmental failures that have led to the proliferation of antisemitism in Australia. “A series of decisions and public statements by the Albanese government contributed to an environment in which antisemitism flourished, and Australian Jews felt increasingly isolated and unsupported,” the submission reads.
AJA noted that the election of the Albanese government ushered in a period in which Australia-Israel relations deteriorated significantly and antisemitism in Australia reached unprecedented levels.
Prior to the 2022 election, AJA publicly warned that the election of Labor would have consequences for the Jewish community.
In October 2022, as Australian Jews gathered to celebrate Simchat Torah, the Albanese government announced the reversal of Australia’s recognition of parts of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The decision reportedly came without warning to Jewish communal leaders and triggered a difficult period for the Australian Jewish community.
Over the following months and years, the government altered longstanding bipartisan voting patterns at the United Nations and increased funding to UNRWA. Following the October 7 massacre, many world leaders traveled to Israel to express solidarity with the victims and their families. Leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany all made visits. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not.
AJA also noted concerning statements by government ministers and double standards in the form of sanctioning Israeli ministers while not sanctioning Islamist extremist figures. These actions have led to condemnation even from Australia’s own former prime minister Scott Morrison.
“It is no coincidence that the first Australian government since the creation of the State of Israel to abandon bipartisan policies toward the Jewish state also oversaw the largest surge in anti-Jewish hatred in Australian history,” testified the AJA.
As a result of all of the above, the AJA said it is aware of a growing number of Australian Jews who are actively considering leaving Australia because of rising antisemitism. “These decisions are not being driven by economic hardship or a lack of opportunity. Rather, they reflect growing concerns about the long-term future of Jewish life in Australia and the safety of future generations,” AJA said.
It noted that many of those considering aliyah are highly educated, professionally successful, and active contributors to Australian society, whose departure would represent a loss not only to the Jewish community but to Australia more broadly.
“It is a sad indictment on Australia that many feel safer moving to a country currently fighting a multi-front war,” AJA concluded.