Energised by global support, AUJS leader says UTS incident ‘won’t stop us’
Moshe Kadoury, who heads the AUJS branch at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), recently returned from the 'Rise & Respond: Global Student Summit Against Antisemitism' in New York
In an era where university campuses should serve as beacons of dialogue, understanding and coexistence, it is deeply troubling to witness attempts to marginalise and intimidate Jewish students simply for expressing their identity.
A recent attempt to isolate Jewish students at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is not an isolated phenomenon—it’s part of a broader, global pattern of antisemitism that has reared its head with renewed force, particularly under the guise of political activism. The actions targeting Jewish students demand not just outrage, but urgent and decisive institutional response. Jewish students have every right to be proud, visible and safe on campus—and we cannot accept anything less.
Returning from a recent conference against antisemitism in New York City attended by hundreds of university students around the world, Moshe Kadoury, who heads the AUJS branch at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), says he won’t allow external pressure to hinder his Jewish and Zionist pride, following several incidents where pro-Palestinian protests attempted to threaten or limit AUJS-led events on campus.
Organised by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), the ‘“Rise & Respond: Global Student Summit Against Antisemitism” was held over March 22-23 in New York City and attended by over 300 Jewish university students, academic allies, community leaders, influencers and officials from around the globe.
With the ambitious goal of leading a global and united front against Jew-hatred, CAM aims to tackle antisemitism in all its forms by fostering interfaith relationships, partnering with decision-makers and building a network of support for Jewish communities. For Jewish Australians, who live in an inherently isolated country that has seen a surge of antisemitism over the past 18 months, such initiatives are especially welcome.
According to Kadoury, the conference offered an opportunity to learn how others are dealing with similar challenges. And more importantly, it reminded him that he is not alone.
“To be surrounded with fellow Jewish leaders, students and advocates was a truly special experience. It highlighted the global nature of antisemitism and the importance of coordinated efforts. It showed how antisemitism affects each and every one of us around the world and more importantly how it is essential that we work together to fight it,” said Kadoury.
“Australia’s Jewish student community is small in comparison to places like America, but that’s exactly why international solidarity matters so much. The connections we build, the strategies we share, and the support we receive from larger communities overseas can empower our efforts at home.”
Following a difficult year-and-a-half, marked by constant attempts to delegitimise his pain and concerns, Kadoury says the conference has given him a newfound sense of strength. “This is not a fight any of us can face alone, and I came back feeling more hopeful, supported, and determined than ever,” he said.
AUJS regularly sends representatives and delegations to conferences and initiatives abroad to promote connections with other organisations and provide its members with professional development opportunities. Earlier this year, AUJS was honoured with the Union of the Year Award at the 2025 World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) Congress.
Bringing the Fight Back Home
Just days after attending the CAM conference in NYC, Kadoury returned to his Sydney home to grim but not unusual news.
During a pro-Palestinian rally held on his campus on March 26, anti-Zionist Jewish professor Peter Slezak said Jewish students “should feel uncomfortable and it’s our duty to make them uncomfortable,” referring to previous statements made by Palestinian activist and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.
Moreover, Slezak, who does not teach at UTS and is not part of its academic staff, made his comments while pointing to a Jewish student holding an Israeli flag nearby, promoting the dangerous and antisemitic idea that Jews on campus should be isolated even further and encouraging fellow students to target their Jewish peers.
“The protest sparked a lot of outrage and understandably so,” Kadoury noted, adding that the rhetoric used by Slezak “is completely unacceptable and antisemitic.”
AUJS works closely with Australian universities to ensure that they take sufficient action to ensure the safety of their Jewish students. In the immediate aftermath of October 7, 2023, AUJS met with chancellors and academics from all major universities in the country to warn them of the volatile and increasingly hostile environment its members find themselves in, and played a major role in advocating for policy changes that have made a real difference, such as Monash University taking action to prevent non-students and foreign influence from entering campus grounds.
“We’re already in discussions with the university administration and the Vice-Chancellor to raise our concerns directly,” said Kadoury. “It’s something we’re addressing seriously and strategically.”
The AUJS leader said this could be an opportunity to lead broader change on his campus.
“We are working tirelessly for UTS to implement the IHRA definition of antisemitism, so that action can be taken immediately, and that situations such as this incident do not occur again,” Kadoury said, adding that he is “incredibly proud of the work being done by so many of the AUJS executives behind the scenes.
Kadoury and his team stress that they won’t let intimidation hinder their activity and have no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
Earlier this month, AUJS-UTS partnered with Israel-Is, a Tel Aviv-based advocacy group, to hold an interfaith event surrounding October 7 and commemoration. Through Virtual Reality (VR) technology, participants were introduced to stories of survivors told by the survivors, gaining a firsthand and personal understanding of events that often feel incomprehensible. AUJS held similar events with Israel-Is in Melbourne and Canberra.
Despite being marketed as interfaith events and their non-political nature, the engagements often drew opposition with some pro-Palestinian protesters calling on universities to cancel them. Luckily, they failed, and the events were held as planned.
“We remained strong and did not give into this pressure, hosting a very meaningful, peaceful and safe event,” Kadoury said. “We were honoured to host both Muslim and Jewish chaplains, with speakers from the Druze, Christian Lebanese and Jewish communities from Israel sharing powerful messages of unity and understanding.”
The weaponisation of discomfort and intimidation to suppress Jewish voices on campus is a dangerous and deeply unethical trend. What Kadoury and AUJS are doing is not just commendable—it’s vital. They are standing up for inclusion, for dialogue, and for the right to be proudly Jewish without fear. It’s time for university administrations, student bodies and the broader public to stand with them. Because when Jewish students are made to feel unwelcome or unsafe, it’s not just a Jewish issue—it’s a failure of the academic community to uphold its most basic values.
Tobias Siegal is the AUJS shaliach.
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