When Australians went to the polls on May 3, 2025, many in the Jewish community hoped that the left-leaning Labor Party, headed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, would be voted out in favor of the more conservative Liberal Party led by Peter Dutton.
Australia has always been a strong ally of Israel, especially in hostile forums such as the United Nations, but relations have become increasingly strained in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, atrocities.
Albanese has not visited Israel, choosing instead to dispatch his foreign minister, Penny Wong, who in turn chose not to visit the sites of the massacres in the south.
This was particularly hurtful not just to Israelis, but also to the Jewish community in Australia. To add fuel to the fire, what followed were repeated recriminations by Australia against the Jewish state, especially in international forums.
It is not just Australia’s foreign policy decisions that have raised concerns in the community, but also soaring antisemitism. While the IDF was still clearing the south of terrorists and ZAKA began the grim task of removing corpses from the massacre sites, pro-Palestinian supporters gathered on the steps of the iconic Sydney Opera House, chanting, “Gas the Jews!”
Antisemitic incidents include the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne with worshippers inside and a private home, as well as hateful graffiti sprayed against Jews and Israel.
In the end, the Labor Party won a landslide victory and Albanese and Wong were re-elected into office.
Some drew a direct line between the government’s foreign policy towards Israel and these hateful incidents. Others felt that the influence of the far-left Australian Greens and the deference shown to them by Labor was one of the reasons the traditional “mate-ship” between Australia and Israel has been impeded.
In a dramatic development after the Greens lost much of their support and parliamentary seats in the election, their numbers shrank even more when Greens Senator Dorinda Cox defected to Labor on June 2.
Leaders of the community shared with JNS some of their concerns in the wake of the election results.
Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, noted that the recent federal election took place during one of the most challenging periods for Jewish Australians.
“The months since October 7 have shaken our community’s sense of security and belonging. For the first time in history, many Jews in this country felt they had to justify their place in Australian society,” Leibler said. “While the relationship between the Jewish community and the Albanese government has been under strain, the resounding re-election of Labor and the clear rejection of the Greens’ extreme agenda signal a mandate to govern from the center.”
He added, “We are committed to working constructively with the government to rebuild trust and ensure that our shared democratic values are upheld.”
The popular Melbourne-based Jewish writer Justin Amler said, “I hope Labor will be more pragmatic without the Greens’ influence. They are a radical anti-Israel party but lost almost all their seats. The main concern was that the Labor Party would have to sit in a coalition with them, which would have been very bad.”
Alex Ryvchin, CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), has experienced antisemitism first-hand. In January, his former family home in Sydney was vandalized and two cars torched, with one spray-painted with antisemitic slurs.
“Prior to the election, there was a clear gulf between the rhetoric and policies of the returned Labor government and the conservative opposition,” Ryvchin said. “In an election when the Jewish community was facing an antisemitism crisis and Israel’s security and the fate of the hostages weighed heavily on the minds of Australian Jews, there was immense concern about how the election outcome would impact on our lives as Jews and what would happen with the relationship with Israel.”
Ryvchin said the community was most fearful that the “institutionally antisemitic Greens party would increase its presence in the parliament or even hold the balance of power.
“We have a clear disagreement with the government on matters such as the doomed and immoral policy of recognizing a Palestinian state, and we will continue to advocate forcefully to protect the rights and interests of our community,” he said. “We don’t despair at political challenges. We are a proud and strong community and we take daily strength from the heroism of our kin in Israel, especially the heroes of the IDF.”
Dr. Colin Rubenstein, the executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), expressed similar sentiments.
“This election victory represents an opportunity for the Labor government to push back more strongly against the unprecedented levels of antisemitism, hate speech and incitement to violence we have experienced over the last 19 months,” he said.
Rubenstein added, “We also hope to see a return to the longstanding bipartisan position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This includes an insistence that all issues can only be resolved through direct negotiations, and an acceptance that premature recognition of a non-existent Palestinian state will be detrimental to peacemaking.”
The online space is particularly worrying for Australian Jews. The community is estimated to number more than 120,000, with the largest concentrations in Melbourne and Sydney.
In February 2024, prominent Jews had their personal information outed by pro-Palestinian activists in a doxing incident that stunned the country. The “Zio600” list was aimed at isolating “Zionists,” targeting a private WhatsApp group called “J.E.W.I.S.H creatives and academics.”
Incitement online continues to spread without impunity.
Zara Cooper, CEO of Digital Defence, an initiative aimed at combating harmful online behavior through advocacy and education in Australia, told JNS that there is growing concern within the Jewish community about the level of vitriol and antisemitism that has been allowed to spread online, “unchecked and largely without consequences.”
“The digital space has become a breeding ground for hate, where misinformation and divisive narratives are amplified, often with devastating real-world impact,” Cooper said. “We have seen this play out on Australian streets for almost two years now, and there is no question that our government’s response has been insufficient.”
She added, “This is a moment for action, transparency, and responsibility. My organization stands ready to work with our government to create a safer, fairer and more respectful online space in Australia, not just for the Jewish community, but for all Australians.”
Other concerns expressed by Australian Jews were the growing exclusion of Jews from public spaces, including literary and sports events and the theater. Some shared that they believed tourism to Australia was being hurt by the rise in antisemitism.
Still, Australian Jews remain resolute, proud of their Zionist and Jewish identities and proud to be Australian, a country that has been a safe haven for many who survived the Holocaust. Their message is clear: They are, on the whole, passionate about their Judaism and their Zionism and at least for now, they’re not going anywhere.