World Jewish leaders warn of rising antisemitism at Sydney summit

Jewish leaders from the world’s seven largest diaspora communities concluded the first J7 Task Force summit ever held in Australia with a warning that the country’s dramatic spike in antisemitic incidents reflects a dangerous global pattern threatening Jewish safety and democratic stability.

“We came from around the world to show our solidarity with the Australian Jewish community and make clear that we are one Jewish family,” the group said in a closing statement Monday.

The gathering in Sydney, which began on Dec. 3, included representatives from Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The J7 summit comes as new data reveal that Australia experienced the sharpest rise in antisemitic incidents among all member countries between 2021 and 2024, with attacks now occurring at nearly five times pre–Oct. 7, 2023, levels.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) documented 1,654 antisemitic incidents nationwide between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, following 2,062 incidents the previous year. While representing a 20% decline from 2024’s record high, the figure remains unprecedented in Australian history.

Most alarmingly, the most serious categories of incidents—including arson attacks against synagogues, preschools, and other Jewish institutions—reached their highest levels ever recorded.

The Dec. 3 ECAJ report highlights antisemitic arson attacks on Jewish community sites—Sydney’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in October 2024 and Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue in December 2024—that Australian intelligence has linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Canberra subsequently designated a state sponsor of terrorism.

“The antisemitism that targeted a synagogue in a devastating arson attack in Melbourne—and has led to record levels of incidents in Australia—has had a deadly impact in Manchester, Boulder, Washington, and beyond,” the J7 statement continued.

“We reiterate our call on our governments to take all necessary steps to fight antisemitism and ensure the security of the Jewish community. We join our Australian partner, the ECAJ, in calling on the government of Australia to accept and implement the plan to combat antisemitism formulated by its special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, AO [Officer of the Order of Australia].”

During the summit, J7 leaders met with Australian parliamentarians, government officials, Jewish community leaders and students, including a visit on Dec. 5 to The Great Synagogue and Moriah College in Sydney. The delegation also commemorated the first anniversary of the Iranian-linked arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue. Participants shared strategies and best practices for combating antisemitism across their respective communities.

The J7 was formed in response to rising global antisemitism and includes working groups composed of subject-matter experts from each community developing strategies in areas including policy and advocacy, tech policy, security, extremism and education.