On May 3, 2025, Australians will head to the polls in one of the most pivotal elections in recent memory — especially for Australian Jews.

This vote comes after a harrowing period of unprecedented hostility toward the Jewish community in Australia, triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel. That day shattered not only lives in Israel but also the illusion of safety that Jews in the Diaspora — including in Australia — once held dear.

Almost overnight, antisemitism, often masquerading as anti-Zionism, became rampant. Empathy for Israel and the Jewish people, reeling from the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, was alarmingly in short supply.

Even more disturbingly, this hatred erupted in Western democracies — nations that should have stood in solidarity with Israel, a fellow democracy under attack by genocidal terrorists.

Nations like Australia.

Long considered a peaceful haven for Jews, Australia proved to be no exception. Far away from the conflicts of the Middle East and even further away from the baggage of thousands of years of ingrained antisemitism in Europe, our country was about as distant and far removed from these ancient hatreds as could be.

But no more.

On October 9, 2023 — as Israelis were still identifying their dead — the Sydney Opera House was lit in blue and white in solidarity. But outside, a different scene played out. Demonstrators, claiming to support Palestinians, flooded the area, chanting “F— the Jews” and “F— Israel.”

Instead of dispersing this hate-filled rally, authorities warned Jews to stay away “for their own safety.” Only one person was arrested that night: a man displaying the Israeli flag.

That moment set the tone for what would become the most dangerous period in the history of Australian Jewry.

Rather than cracking down on the surge in antisemitism, the tepid response from authorities allowed it to flourish.

And flourish it did.

Hatred was no longer whispered in the darkened corners at the fringe of society, but shouted, broadcast, and celebrated in full public view.

Islamic clerics openly praised the Hamas massacre. Jewish institutions were targeted with graffiti, and Jewish schools were vandalized — including one in Melbourne where “Jewdie” was spray-painted on the walls. Worshipers at a synagogue were even forced to leave early after demonstrators descended on their suburb with the threat of violence in the air.

But it got worse.

On December 6, 2024, the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed in the early hours of the morning, with some worshippers narrowly escaping with their lives.

A December 2024 Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) report recorded a staggering 316% increase in antisemitic attacks since October 7, 2023 — a level not seen since the Holocaust. Those figures didn’t even include the firebombing attack.

Then, in January, Ice Hockey Australia canceled its hosting of a key international tournament — not to protect Jewish athletes, but, allegedly, to shield the Israeli team from anti-Israel protestors.

The current Labor government is not the cause of this antisemitism. But its failure to confront it robustly has contributed to its escalation. Since its election in May 2022, it has shattered the warm bipartisan relationship that existed between the two countries.  It has voted for biased one-sided resolutions against Israel at the United Nations, while constantly criticizing Israel’s efforts to defend itself.

While it has in recent months appeared to finally take the threat of antisemitism more seriously — including setting up a special federal task force to crack down on antisemitism, as well as appointing a special a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism — it does beg the question: What took so long? The damage has already been done.

Jews feel less secure now in Australia than they ever had, and the government bears a responsibility for that.

Just days ago, neo-Nazi flyers — adorned with Liberal Party logos — appeared in the mailboxes of Jewish homes in Caulfield, Melbourne, filled with antisemitic tropes about Jews and money. Members of the same hate group were seen outside voting booths dressed as Hasidic Jews, distributing flyers that read: “Giving the Jews everything they want.” Posters of both Jewish and non-Jewish candidates were defaced with red spray-painted Stars of David.

The image of Australia as a tolerant society for Jews has been severely strained, perhaps even shattered. Whether the ineffective Labor government remains in power, as it’s projected to do, or the more pro-Israel Liberal Party takes over, the road ahead for Australia’s Jews remains uncertain and dangerously perilous.

The antisemitic genie has been let out of the bottle — and putting it back in will not be easy.

Justin Amler is a policy analyst at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).

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