About 80 per cent of Jewish women in Australia have experienced antisemitism personally or against an immediate family member in the past two years, the royal commission has heard.

More than 600 people shared their experience with antisemitism as part of a survey conducted by the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia between July 2025 and February 2026.

The survey found 20 per cent of respondents or their relatives had experienced physical violence or verbal abuse, and 69 per cent said they had been called genocidal because they self-identified as Jewish, Israeli or Zionist.

More than 50 per cent of survey respondents said they had heard claims the October 7, 2023 attack on Israelis was “justified” or did not occur.

Ms Leader told the commission the denial of sexual assaults against Jewish women in Israel on October 7, 2023 was particularly harmful.

She said much of the denial could come from the “women’s sector”, and “so-called feminists in so-called progressive spaces” in Australia who would question or “mock” reports of sexual abuse during the Hamas attacks.

  • Eldritch@piefed.worldEnglish
    6·
    13 hours ago

    because they self-identified as Jewish, Israeli or Zionist.

    Two of these things are not like the other. And it’s bullshit to assert being against the latter two is antisemitism. Being against Israel because it’s government is violent genocidal and fascist isn’t antisemitism, it’s being correct and anti Israeli. Likewise being against Zionism is also correct and not antisemitism.

    If someone is harassing random people they suspect are Jewish then they are antisemitic bigots. If you tell people you’re Israeli and defend Zionism, you’re only getting the proper response if they attack you.

  • RedWeasel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    131·
    18 hours ago

    Ok, so claims that the rapes didn’t happen is anti-semitism? Or that 50 years of apartheid doesn’t warrant a response? The attack happened, that doesn’t mean everything reported initially was accurate.

    Honestly the response by the Israeli government probably has had a bigger impact on anti -semitism than people probably realize or want to admit.

    • cecilkorik@lemmy.caEnglish
      5·
      14 hours ago

      The antisemitism is coming from inside the house!

      …because it’s a great way to justify and excuse anything and everything Israel wants to do. Apparently up to and including genocide, we’ve now discovered. Why would they want to actually stop the antisemitism when it’s so darn useful for them?

  • Buffalox@lemmy.worldEnglish
    66·
    17 hours ago

    Here antisemitism is mostly driven by the Semites themselves, as Arabs are also Semites, and antisemitism is very much driven by Arab Muslims.
    Except it’s of course not actually antisemitism, but being anti Jewish and especially anti Israel.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_people

    Semitic people or Semites is an obsolete term for an ethnic, cultural or racial group.

    used in connection with ancient and modern peoples of the Middle East
    including Akkadians (Assyrians and Babylonians), Arabs, Ammonites, Arameans, Canaanites, Edomites, Habesha peoples, Israelites, Jews, Judahites, Moabites, Phoenicians, Samaritans,

    So using antisemitism as if it means anti Jewish is moronic to say the least.
    Jews is only one among many nationalities that Semites cover.