A prominent Jewish leader has told the royal commission into antisemitism on Thursday she has endured online abuse for her pro-Palestinian advocacy, including being branded a “traitor”.
Sarah Schwartz, director of the progressive Jewish Council of Australia, said much of the post-Bondi shooting discussion sought to place the source of antisemitism among migrant and religious communities, leaving them to bear the weight of others’ actions.
“This sends a message not only to the broader Australian public, (but) to Palestinian and Muslim communities that they have to account for antisemitism in a way that no other community is asked to account for it,” she said.
The Jewish Council rejects antisemitism but says criticism of Israel, particularly the actions of its government, is not the same thing.
Australia is in its most toxic and caustic era of online hate speech and technology platforms are emboldened to remove protections because the Trump administration is not seeking to enforce them, according to eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
The third block of public hearings for the royal commission started on Monday with a focus on the treatment of Jewish people in mainstream and social media.
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