Defining Jewish life in Australia
We cannot – we will not – let antisemitism become the defining experience of Jewish life in Australia.
was recently invited to Jerusalem to speak at a global summit that brought together leaders from across the Jewish world. I was proud to represent Australia.
I sat on a panel at the President’s Residence alongside inspiring voices from Europe, North America and Israel. When it came time for me to speak, I talked about home.
About how our Jewish community – just 0.5 per cent of Australia’s population – has achieved so much and made a disproportionately positive contribution across every aspect of Australian life.
About how we are one of the most Zionist, most educated, most engaged Jewish communities on Earth – over 87 per cent of us have visited Israel.
About this place where Holocaust survivors, having fled the ashes of Europe, chose to build. They rebuilt their lives and our community with a clear message to the next generation: We are not victims. We are Jewish. We are proud. We are resilient. And we are not going anywhere.
For three generations driven by this optimism and indomitable spirit, we flourished without fear.
Then came October 7. And October 9.
Before we had even finished counting our dead, thousands gathered on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. The sails were lit in blue and white, but beneath them, Israeli flags were burned. Flares were set off. Antisemitic chants filled the air. And Jews were told to stay away.
Since that day, antisemitic incidents in Australia have surged by more than 300 per cent.
My children’s school, Mount Scopus, was graffitied with “Jews Die.” The Adass synagogue near my home was burned to the ground. My local MP, Josh Burns, had his office torched. A caravan filled with explosives was found alongside a list of Jewish addresses. My staff receive threatening calls and disturbing emails weekly. And the vitriol online is constant.
I know antisemitism is real. I’ve seen it. Heard it. Felt it.
But here’s the provocation I shared on that stage in Jerusalem: We cannot – we will not – let antisemitism become the defining experience of Jewish life in Australia.
Because that is the trap. Antisemitism doesn’t just harm. It consumes. It demands our attention, our resources, our oxygen. And left unchecked, it does something even worse: it robs us of imagination.
Over the past year, our community – like so many Jewish communities around the world – has been forced to obsess over antisemitism. Our bandwidth has been dominated by it. Boardrooms. Shabbat tables. WhatsApp groups. Government meetings. Crisis management. Statements. Protests. Security briefings. Response strategies.
We’ve become a community that reacts. That braces. That survives. And yes, when a community is under threat, like any organism, it focuses on self-preservation. But here’s the thing: Jewish life is not about surviving. It’s about thriving.
We must now redirect our collective energy toward building. Toward Jewish identity. Pride. Education. Connection. Strength. Yes, we need to stay vigilant. But we must double our efforts into creating the kind of Jewish life that is worth defending.
I know this shift is possible. Because at the Zionist Federation of Australia, we’ve lived it.
Yes, we’ve been on the frontlines of fighting antisemitism – backing doxxed creatives, vulnerable Jewish students and academics, and of course holding those engaged in antisemitic hate speech to account. But we’ve also been on the frontlines of Jewish continuity.
Over the past year, we’ve supported more than 600 young Jews to visit Israel. We’ve invested more than ever in youth leadership and Jewish education. We’ve brought together hundreds of educators to strengthen their impact. We’ve worked with partners to ensure our community is exposed to the best Jewish thinkers, educators and commentators from around the world.
Why? Because these things are not luxuries. They are essentials. They are the best antidote to antisemitism. They are our people’s superpower.
Security matters. But Jewish strength – rooted in knowledge, identity, belonging – is what will carry us forward.
The most powerful moment for me at the conference in Jerusalem wasn’t the statistics or speeches. It was the people. A gathering of Jewish community builders from every corner of the world. Educators. Creators. Thinkers. Visionaries. Yes, the conference was about antisemitism. But what I saw was a global network of Jewish pride in motion. Hundreds of the world’s best Jewish minds, reminding each other of what we’re really here to do: build a future.
Antisemitism has always existed. It always will. We cannot eliminate hate entirely. But we can choose how we respond to it.
As Viktor Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
Now is the time to choose strength. To choose inspiration over intimidation. To choose Jewish joy. To choose the kind of community our children deserve to inherit.
If we obsess only over what threatens us, we become small. But if we obsess over what’s possible – over who we are and who we can become – then the future is bright. Not in spite of antisemitism, but proudly, defiantly, in its face.
Alon Cassuto is the CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA).
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