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Australia at a Crossroads: Why Jews Are Discussing a Plan B

Arsonists heavily damaged the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo: Screenshot

There was a time when leaving Australia never crossed my mind. Well, that’s not entirely true. Having an Israeli wife and being a passionate Zionist, we always considered the possibility of returning. But it was always a choice — one rooted in love for our ancestral homeland, not fear. For generations, Jewish Australians believed this country to be a place of safety, freedom, and opportunity.

Yet, in conversations with ordinary, everyday Australians, an unthinkable question was raised: What happens if things don’t change regarding the rising tide of antisemitism? Where would we go if this tide of hatred continues and we had to leave?

Conversations with children of Holocaust survivors revealed that their parents came to Australia because they believed it was a place where such horrors could never happen again. The mere fact that we are asking these questions today should be a line in the sand — a national wake-up call.

Something has gone terribly wrong in this country.

A Moment of Moral Clarity — Ignored

The events of October 7, 2023, changed everything. The Hamas massacre should have been a moment of moral clarity for the world. Instead, what followed in Australia was a rapid and deeply disturbing escalation of antisemitism. Excuses for terror. Celebrations of mass murder. An outright rejection of Jewish pain.

Days later, as Jewish Australians gathered at the Sydney Opera House to mourn, they were met with a mob chanting “Gas the Jews.” Not in Berlin in the 1930s, but in Sydney in 2023.

And the response? Political dithering. Weak condemnation. No accountability. That moment set the tone for what followed — a relentless surge of antisemitism, ignored, excused, or even encouraged by those in power.

Jewish students are being harassed on university campuses, shouted down, and excluded from public spaces. The so-called “protests” at the University of Sydney and other institutions are not about dialogue. They are intimidation campaigns.

Jewish businesses are being vandalized. Social media is awash with unfiltered hatred. Corporate Australia, once a champion of inclusivity, now turns a blind eye as its Jewish employees are pressured into silence.

Politicians who once claimed to stand against all forms of racism have, in many cases, enabled this wave of hate — the Greens and Labor and even the so-called “Teal” independents.

Are We Having the Same Conversations as Our Grandparents?

None of this is hypothetical. It is happening, and it is happening fast.

I find myself wondering: Were these the same conversations my grandparents had in Eastern Europe before they fled? Did they sit around the dinner table, debating whether it was time to go? Did they convince themselves that things would pass, that their neighbors wouldn’t turn against them, that the governments they trusted would ultimately protect them?

And what about my in-laws, who fled Iraq and the Arab world? Their families lived there for centuries — until, within a single generation, they were driven out. Did they have these same conversations before the choice was made for them? Before it was no longer a question of if, but how quickly?

For the first time in my life, I understand those conversations in a way I never thought I would.

Australia is Still Home — But For How Long?

That is the question many in our community are asking. Some are actively exploring options—where they might move, what opportunities exist in Israel, the United States, or elsewhere. Others are simply bracing themselves, watching, waiting, hoping that Australia will wake up before it’s too late.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

But change requires action — not just from the Jewish community, but from all Australians. The government must stop treating antisemitism as an abstract issue and start enforcing real consequences for hate crimes. Universities that allow the open intimidation of Jewish students should face serious funding cuts. Corporate leaders who claim to stand for diversity must ensure that includes Jews. The media must stop excusing antisemitism under the guise of “criticism of Israel.”

Most importantly, everyday Australians need to stand up. Just as we would never accept racism against any other group, we must refuse to normalize the hatred of Jews. Silence is not an option.

The fact that we are discussing a “Plan B” is a national crisis. But it is not too late to change the conversation. The real question should not be where will Jews go if this continues — but, how do we ensure this stops?

If we fail to ask — and answer — that question now, we may find that the decision has already been made for us. And by then, it may be too late.

Michael Gencher is the Executive Director of StandWithUs Australia, an international education organisation that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. Michael immigrated to Sydney from Canada in 1991, and was CEO and Head of Community within the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, where he was instrumental in promoting education, fostering dialogue, and addressing antisemitism.

The post Australia at a Crossroads: Why Jews Are Discussing a Plan B first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.

The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.

They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.

Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.

Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.

The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip

Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.

The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.

Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.

He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.

The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.

Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.

Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.

Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.

Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.

The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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