Since October 7, many Jews around the world have experienced a painful realization: the hatred itself has not changed, only its social acceptability.

The chants, conspiracies, blood libels and glorification of violence are not new phenomena. Jews have seen them before throughout history. What is new is how normalized they have become in supposedly liberal democracies. Hatred that once lived on the fringes now marches openly through city streets, campuses and cultural institutions, often dressed in the language of “justice” and “resistance.”

And too many Jewish organizations were not prepared for this reality.

For decades, mainstream Jewish institutions in countries like Australia operated in an era defined by integration, relationship-building and optimism. Their work focused on education, interfaith dialogue, civic participation and preserving Holocaust memory. That work still matters, but the environment that shaped those priorities has changed dramatically.

Many Holocaust survivors who built Jewish life in Australia reminded younger generations how fortunate we were to grow up in a safe, democratic country. They believed Australia was different. They believed the lessons of history had been learned.

My late grandfather, in his Shoah Foundation testimony in the 1990s, described Australia as a place free from the antisemitism he experienced in Poland and encouraged future generations to remain proud Jews while treating others with kindness and dignity.

After October 7, many Jews are no longer certain Australia is as different or safe as earlier generations believed.

The antisemitism now confronting Jewish communities is not merely ignorance. It is ideological, organized and increasingly rewarded. People carry out antisemitic acts because they believe they are righteous. They seek approval and often receive it. Social media celebrates them. Activist movements excuse them. Academic and cultural institutions rationalize them. Political leaders hesitate to condemn them clearly. Their actions enable and embolden it.

This........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)