As someone who has written in the past on the topic of antisemitism in this Journal – South Australia and antisemitism, July 12 2022, and Antisemitism and the IHRA definition, April 26 2023, I was moved to do so again following the piece published by the newly formed Jewish Council of Australia (the Council) on February 8, 2024: Jewish Council of Australia launches to provide expert voice on antisemitism and racism in Australia.

The Council draws attention to the fact that one quarter of Australia’s Jews ‘do not identify as Zionists’. Whilst not an insignificant percentage, the statistic nevertheless indicates the overwhelming support of Israel afforded by Australian Jews – three quarters of them. The Council correctly defines antisemitism as ‘the hatred of Jewish people as Jews’ and rejects attempts to conflate antisemitism with support for Palestinian rights, including any criticism of Israel. Whilst one can only commend the founding members, said to be a ‘coalition of Jewish scholars, historians, human rights lawyers, and writers’ for drawing attention to the issue I believe that it is necessary to scratch a bit further below the surface. My own view is that the phenomenon of antisemitism, no doubt existing to some extent since the adoption of........

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