Antisemitism still high in Victoria

Levels of antisemitism in Victoria remain dangerously elevated, according to the 2025 Victorian Antisemitism Report, released at a meeting at Beth Weizmann on Monday night.

The joint report by the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) and the Community Security Group (CSG) painted a sobering picture of the ongoing threat facing Melbourne’s Jewish community – and raised serious concerns about a persistent reluctance among victims to report incidents to Victoria Police.

CSG senior analyst Noah Bajayo said the gap between incidents reported to his organisation and those formally lodged with police is stark.

“Off the top of my head, 90 per cent of the time when we ask people to make a report to police, they don’t,” he told the gathering.

“Which is a shame, because it means that alleged perpetrators go unpunished. Even worse, they don’t even get spoken to.”

Bajayo warned that under-reporting had a broader social cost, creating an environment in which antisemitic behaviour goes unchecked.

“Someone drives past [and shouts abuse] and the victim refuses to report to police. That person goes home, tells their mates, and it’s acceptable – because they never got a knock on the door.”

He stressed that while CSG can encourage victims to come forward, it could not make reports on their behalf.

“If we could lead them to the doors of the Caulfield police station, we would. We can’t make them make a report.”

Bajayo urged community members to report incidents both to CSG and directly to police, warning that cases handled outside official channels risk being lost entirely.

Victoria Police Superintendent Marty Burke, who attended the meeting, outlined the significant resources his force has committed to the Jewish community since October 7, 2023.

Under Operation Park, five dedicated police units patrol Jewish precincts daily, including synagogues and schools, with additional public order response teams deployed on Friday nights and Saturday mornings.

Burke said detectives, not just uniformed officers, are now investigating incidents including graffiti, verbal abuse and egg-throwing.

“We have probably two or three reports a week, and we can really get good results with those.”

He cited recent successes, including the rapid arrest of an offender responsible for a firebombing and the same-night arrest of a person who pointed a toy gun at a CSG member.

JCCV CEO Naomi Levin acknowledged that community scepticism remains a barrier.

“Many people are still reluctant to report because they feel like nothing’s going to be done,” she said, while praising Burke’s deep engagement with the community and urging residents to give police the opportunity to act.