Former AJA president makes aliyah

The former president of the Australian Jewish Association, Dr David Adler, has relocated to Israel this week, saying the surge in antisemitism in Australia was a significant factor in his decision.

The AJA said it was aware of a growing number of Australian Jews considering the same move amid concerns about their long-term future in Australia.

Adler, who led the organisation for close to a decade, said he no longer recognised his country of birth.

“I am proud of the contribution I have made to Australia, but I no longer recognise the country. Antisemitism and violence directed at Jews has reached levels under this government that I never expected to see in Australia,” he said.

He said Australia faced “growing hostility not only towards Jews and Israel, but also towards Australia itself and the values upon which Western civilisation is built”.

He contrasted that with what he described as a clear sense of national purpose in Israel, saying the younger generation there had shown extraordinary commitment in defending the country.

Speaking to Andrew Bolt on Sky News, Adler described the move as the ultimate no-confidence motion in Australia.

“Unfortunately, I was born in Melbourne. I’ve lived all of my life in Australia, other than going away for holidays,” he said. “It’s not the same country, and I have officially emigrated from Australia and done what’s called aliyah to Israel.”

Adler said the decision reflected both push and pull factors.

He described Israel as a country with “a depth of history and culture that fuses with the high tech and modernity like nowhere else”, and pointed to what he characterised as a decline in Australia and an explosion of anti-Israel extremism and antisemitism. He said he was selling up.

Asked by Bolt how he could feel safer in a country that had been at war for almost three years, Adler said the difference was apparent within minutes of arriving.

“As soon as you start walking around, you see Israeli flags everywhere. There is a strong sense of identity and purpose,” he said. “There is a big sense of community that adds to safety.”

He said he had confidence in the IDF and border police, and said Israeli premises were required to have security and every home a safe room.

Adler referred to recent comments by Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, whom he said had described the hate in Australia as irrational and of an order of magnitude he had not experienced elsewhere.

Adler said he had travelled to Israel via Abu Dhabi wearing his kippah and had encountered no hostility.

“I also felt more comfortable in the UAE than in Australia nowadays,” he said.

“It’s not an easy decision, and I frankly refuse to be the proverbial frog in the hot water. Some people say that Australia is approaching a tipping point. My assessment is that it … has reached and passed the tipping point on a variety of measures.”

AJA president Robert Gregory paid tribute to his predecessor, describing his contribution to Australia through the association and through a long career in medicine and business as outstanding.

“We wish Dr Adler every success in this next chapter of his life,” Gregory said.

He said the organisation was speaking with an increasing number of Australian Jews actively considering relocating to Israel because they no longer felt confident about their future in Australia.

“It is a deeply troubling reflection on the Australian Government that increasing numbers of Australian Jews believe they will be safer in Israel, a country that has endured almost three years of war, than in Australia,” Gregory said.

He said antisemitism had “reached historic highs under the Albanese Government”, and that for many the Bondi attack was the final catalyst.

“The Jewish community has been part of Australia’s story since the First Fleet and has made an enormous contribution to every aspect of Australian life,” Gregory said.

“The Government appears unconcerned that Australian Jews are leaving because they no longer feel safe.”