‘Terrible virus': Anti-Semitism hearing told of rise in incidents in 2025

News.com.au

6 hours ago

An inquiry into anti-Semitism across Australia has been told the 'terrible virus' is spreading across the country.
Last July the Federal Government appointed Australia's first Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism (ASECA), following a rise in apparent anti-Semitic attacks.
Jillian Segal AO told a hearing at NSW parliament on Friday a spate of anti-Semitic acts in NSW over the past summer have contributed to 'anxiety and unease' in the Jewish community.
'Anti-Semitism is such a terrible virus that eats away at our fundamental Australian values,' she said.
Since her appointment to the envoy nearly 12 months ago, Ms Segal told the parliamentary hearing she has met with many political and civil leaders across the country.
Anti-Semitic acts that Ms Segal referenced included the caravan full of explosives found in Dural, NSW in January which appeared to target the Jewish community.
'The Dural caravan contained explosives and it deliberately targeted the Jewish community and created a sense of vulnerability among the Jewish community,' she said.
Ms Segal said the assertion that the Dural caravan was 'merely a harmless hoax' and 'did not in fact terrorise the Jewish community' was false.
'Whether or not the caravan was ultimately intended to be used in a terror attack, it had the effect of causing a great deal of fear and anxiety in the Jewish community, which was already on edge following the succession of arson and graffiti attacks, as well as the terror attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne,' she said.
Ms Segal was asked about the impacts of a violent pro-Palestinian rally at the Sydney Opera House, on October 9, 2023, following Hamas attacks, and if those events 'set the tone for everything that has happened following that incident.'
'I think it was a terrible incident that did indicate to people who were underlying anti-Semitic that they could continue behaving that way,' she said.
'Anti-Semitism is a hatred and behaving that way in that community is shaped by leadership.
'Leadership is incredibly important and leader's condemning certain attitudes and behaviours sets the tone.
'I don't think everything that has happened has been a result of that … but it was an opportunity for it to be stamped out.'
Ms Segal said Jewish Australians should not have to live in fear.
'No Jewish person should be told it's not safe to visit the opera house, or to visit a NSW hospital. Or worry about the safety of their children at a Jewish school,' she said.
Rising anti-Semitism is being seen 'everywhere', Ms Segal said, which requires a range of approaches.
'We need a whole host of responses not only individual leadership but we need legislation, condemnation and education,' she said.
'We need to make sure it doesn't in any way send the message that it is acceptable.'
Deputy Commissioner David Hudson NSW Police Force told the hearing 33 per cent of reports of hate crimes to his team have been of an anti-Semitic nature.
NSW Police have received a total of 1,121 reports of anti-Semitic acts so far in 2025, the inquiry was told.
'This type of behaviour and offending is not going away,' Mr Hudson said.
Strike force Pearl formed to investigate anti-Semitic acts, has seen 14 incidents which were on the 'higher end of the spectrum' of offending, Mr Hudson said, which included attacks and firebombing of Jewish centres and synagogues.
'We certainly believe they were anti-Semitic in nature … the Jewish community was targeted, they were putting lives in danger and ultimately I don't think we would consider it anything but anti-Semitic in nature,' he said.
Those 14 attacks were allegedly conducted by criminal networks, Mr Hudson said, with one 'individual of interest' seen as a catalyst for those incidents, who had allegedly made social media posts that were anti-Semitic in nature.