Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Australia antisemitism down, still far above pre-Oct. 7 levels

Antisemitic incidents in Australia remain at historic highs, driven by serious attacks and IRGC-linked arson targeting Jewish sites.

Protesters hold placards and flags during a rally against antisemitism at The Domain in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 18, 2024. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.
Protesters hold placards and flags during a rally against antisemitism at The Domain in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 18, 2024. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Antisemitic incidents in Australia fell 20 percent in the 12 months between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, but still dwarf pre–Oct. 7, 2023, levels, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) reported on Wednesday.

The group documented 1,654 incidents during the time period, down from 2,062 the previous year but still roughly five times the annual average in the decade before the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Serious incidents, including arson attacks on synagogues, preschools and other Jewish institutions, reached their highest level since ECAJ began tracking, the council reported. The report highlights antisemitic arson attacks on Jewish community sites that Australian intelligence has linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Canberra subsequently designated a state sponsor of terrorism.

“The total number of reported antisemitic incidents in Australia has continued at unprecedentedly high levels for a second consecutive year. We are now at a stage where anti-Jewish racism has left the fringes of society, where it is normalised and allowed to fester and spread, gaining ground at universities, in arts and culture spaces, in the health sector, in the workplace and elsewhere,” said ECAJ president Daniel Aghion KC.

“In such an environment, Jews have legitimate concerns for their physical safety and social well-being in Australia,” he continued. “Together, we must do all we can to combat this scourge which is why hosting the J7 here in Australia for the first time has never been more important.”

ECAJ’s report came as Jewish leaders from the world’s seven largest diaspora communities (the J7) met in Sydney on Wednesday for the first J7 Task Force Summit in Australia, focused on addressing persistent and rising antisemitism. Participants include representatives from Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

See more from JNS Staff
“The most powerful response we can offer is not conflict but proudly and peacefully enjoying the food, atmosphere and togetherness that these wonderful businesses bring to Philadelphia,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said.
“It’s an evolving trend that shows greater signs of permanence than temporary quality,” Dan Diker of the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs told JNS.
“The reason we lost is the war,” the U.S. vice president wrote. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so” but “that’s at least honest.”
“We’ll show up strong, with pride and solidarity, and keep the focus on peaceful support,” Yehuda Sichel, who owns Huda in downtown Philadelphia, told JNS.