One in every five Australian Jewish women has been targeted with physical or verbal abuse since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, while a whopping 80 percent say they or their family members have experienced antisemitism, a survey released on Tuesday found.
The striking data in a report compiled by the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia (NCJWA) underscore how widespread antisemitism has become in the country where Jews make up just 0.5 percent of the country’s total population of 28 million, many of whom are now considering leaving.
Some 20 percent of Jewish women in Australia reported physical violence or verbal abuse against them, while 81% of Jewish women in Australia say either they or an immediate family member has experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7, the survey found.
According to the poll, 54% of respondents said they have made significant behavioral or lifestyle changes due to antisemitism, and 69% reported being accused of being “genocidal” because they self-identify as Jewish, Israeli or Zionist.
“This survey shows how antisemitism impacting Jewish Australian women isn’t marginal; it’s widespread,” Lynda Ben-Menashe, president of the National Council of Jewish Women Australia, told JNS. “It is incredibly sad to find that so many Jewish Australian women are thinking about leaving this place, which once was our haven.”
Two out of every three Australian Jewish women said they have been blamed for the actions of the State of Israel or the IDF, while nearly 60% encountered claims that Israel has no right to exist.
More than half have been told that the Oct. 7 massacre, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the single greatest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, was justified or did not happen, while 43% encountered accusations that Jews are modern-day Nazis.
“There has not been one day since Oct. 7, 2023, that I have not received hateful comments or threats, which have resulted in me having to upgrade my home security to protect myself and my family,” Marnie Perlsetin, an Australian Jewish community advocate, recounted to JNS.
“The fact that we make up only 0.5% of the Australian population, but are receiving the large majority of racial hatred in this country is shameful and frightening. Many Jewish Australians are talking about leaving and planning to do so,” she added.
The survey was conducted among 668 women over eight months, from last July to February of this year, both before and after the Bondi Beach Chanukah massacre, which killed 15 people, in the worst terrorist attack in Australian history.
About 110,000 Jews live in Australia, primarily in Melbourne and Sydney.
