Hate felt by two-thirds
Almost half (45 per cent) of the students surveyed reported reduced class attendance due to feeling unsafe.
A survey conducted by the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A) released on Tuesday has revealed an alarming rise in antisemitism experienced by Jewish students and staff on campus since the October 7, 2023, attacks.
The survey, conducted online among 548 Jewish respondents from 30 Australian universities between April 16 and July 31 last year, found disturbing evidence of antisemitic hostility, harassment and exclusion.
The report revealed that only 38 per cent of Jewish students and 36 per cent of Jewish staff feel safe on campus, while 67 per cent of respondents personally experienced antisemitic comments.
Almost half (45 per cent) of the students surveyed reported reduced class attendance due to feeling unsafe.
Sixty per cent of respondents stated universities were not doing enough to combat antisemitism, while an overwhelming majority (84 per cent) identified antisemitism as coming primarily from the political left.
“The current situation of Jewish students and staff feeling unsafe is unacceptable … There is a cultural shift which is needed, and for that to occur university responses to antisemitism must be informed by an understanding of the experiences of Jewish students and staff, and those Jewish students and staff must feel that their concerns are heard and valued,” the report says.
The report details significant levels of social harm experienced by Jewish students and staff, including rejection, isolation, ostracism and stress. It says the impact of such social harm is likely to have lasting effects.
The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) expressed deep concern at the findings.
In 2023, the ZFA commissioned a survey undertaken by the Social Research Centre which reported at that time that 64 per cent of Jewish university students had experienced antisemitism.
ZFA president Jeremy Leibler said there was an urgent need for universities to act decisively.
“This latest survey reinforces what we’ve been hearing from students for too long: antisemitism is not isolated, it’s systemic,” he said.
“University leaders must confront this issue head-on and take immediate, meaningful action.”
ZFA CEO Alon Cassuto said, “The survey’s findings reveal not only a crisis for Jewish students and staff, but also represents a profound failure by Australian universities to uphold the fundamental values of diversity, inclusion and safety.
“The data before and after October 7 clearly demonstrates that antisemitism is a longstanding and worsening issue on Australian campuses.”
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