Jewish leader forced to defend ‘ethnic cleansing’ claims

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin this week firmly rejected accusations that there was ethnic cleansing of Arabs during Israel’s War of Independence – at a parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism no less.

The exchange occurred during heated questioning at the second hearing of the inquiry on June 16, when Labor Upper House MP Stephen Lawrence pressed Ryvchin on whether ethnic cleansing had occurred during the population transfers of 1948.

“I firmly would dispute that it occurred,” Ryvchin said. “When we talk about ethnic cleansing, we talk about the forceable expulsion of a particular ethnicity or race of people from a territory. That did not occur as a program.”

When Lawrence suggested that whilst it may not have been a program, ethnic cleansing had occurred in particular instances, Ryvchin responded: “I resent and I reject the use of the term ‘ethnic cleansing’.”

Ryvchin acknowledged that people who lived in certain places prior to 1948 “ceased to live there” but attributed this to multiple factors, including “the natural human compulsion to flee a war zone” and Arab leaders telling people to “depart this war zone and then return once we’ve driven the Jews into the sea”.

He said some Arab towns and villages were evacuated because they were “caught up in the battle zone” and “behind the lines of the Israeli fighters, so it was necessary from a military point of view”.

“Horrible things happen in war. People are displaced. I think the lesson from that is don’t start wars, and don’t start wars that you lose,” Ryvchin said.

He then countered that approximately 800,000 Jews were “forcibly removed, plundered and expelled from their countries” throughout the Arab world, arguing this “far greater constitutes ethnic cleansing than a defensive, legitimate war and what happened as a consequence of that war”.

The exchange formed part of a broader discussion about distinguishing between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism. Ryvchin argued the distinction was “very clear”, noting that conversations about other countries never became about “denying the right of that people to be a people or the right of that people to have a state”.

“You can criticise Israel, its policies, actions and politicians and not talk about the right of the State to exist,” he said.

“Something happens when we talk about Israel that is peculiar to Israel that seems to happen with no other country.”

The inquiry heard extensive testimony about the impact of antisemitism on Australian Jewish communities since 7 October. Ryvchin described how “every day for 20 months I’ve spoken to members of my community who have been abused and threatened”.

“Each such incident changes a person. It changes their sense of worth, their state of mind and how they engage with those around them. This, in turn, changes how communities interact and how society functions,” he said.

Ryvchin referenced recent international attacks, including incidents where terrorists “yelled ‘Free Palestine'”, arguing that “the inability to distinguish between political activists and those who just want to execute Zionists has allowed antisemitism to shift from the margins to mainstream”.

State Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloane drew on her experience representing one of the largest Jewish communities in Australia when he gave her evidence to the inquiry. She described a “real sense of fear, of complete shock and betrayal” among constituents following the October 7 Hamas attacks, adding, “It felt like this country… had betrayed them.”

Sloane recounted distressing incidents including graffiti, firebombings, and Jewish students feeling unsafe on campuses such as the University of Sydney. “They couldn’t let their kids walk to school in our local community wearing their school uniform,” she said.

She proposed several reforms, including a racism whistleblower hotline and tighter enforcement of anti-racism policies in schools and hospitals, arguing that, “Just because it’s hard, we shouldn’t shy away from it.”

While praising the Premier’s efforts, she warned against complacency: “While the nightmare has finished in the short term, everyone’s eyes are wide open now… Antisemitism is always there.” Sloane concluded with a call to restore social cohesion and rebuild “the city that I loved, and still love, but I want it to be better because we deserve better.”

Waverley mayor Will Nemesh told the inquiry of how his council was “the first council in Australia to adopt and endorse a local government strategy to combat antisemitism”.

Nemesh said the council had developed “internal multicultural advisory committees”, funded “social cohesion programs” and promoted “Holocaust education”.

He described recent coordination efforts, noting that “about two weeks ago there was an online Zoom discussion with 80 attendees from councils” and that “a month later we were the first council to adopt a policy to combat antisemitism that has really tangible actions that local councils and communities can do”.

On distinguishing between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, Nemesh said, “I believe that what we are seeing in relation to anti-Zionism sentiment very much has bordered straight into the territory of antisemitism.”

Antisemitism at the University of Sydney was also a focus of the inquiry, with university leaders acknowledging a significant rise in complaints and student fear following the October 7 Hamas attacks. Ryvchin cited Sydney University as the “epicentre” of antisemitic incidents, describing an atmosphere in which Jewish students “felt traumatised and unwelcome”.

The university admitted it had “not got everything right” in its handling of tensions on campus. Provost Professor Annamarie Jagose revealed that nearly 400 complaints were lodged in the first half of 2024 alone, around a quarter of which were upheld. Specific concerns included inflammatory social media posts by academic staff, students being advised to avoid protest encampments when entering exam halls, and the presence of hostile chants and signage.

The university defended its decision to allow its 2024 protest encampment to continue, citing a de-escalation strategy and coordination with police. However, it conceded that its policies had not kept pace with the scale and nature of campus activism.

Since then, Sydney University has implemented a Campus Access Policy, introduced multiple new codes of conduct, and begun mandatory “civility training” for student leaders—though critics argue these changes may inhibit free speech.

The Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW also gave evidence, with chair Peter Doukas and board member Joshua Moses explaining their approach to defining antisemitism through community consultation.

“We consulted our Jewish community and our board because it affects them the most. The question of self-identification—of what they see as important to them—is the same approach that we took during the debate around the Islamophobia Register,” Doukas said.

Moses, who also has involvement with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, described how the Jewish community’s daily life had changed since October 7.

“Prior to October 7 the Jewish community largely went about their daily lives with ease. Since then some were fearful to put a kippah on their head to join Jewish community events,” he said.

He identified the Opera House protest on October 9 as a watershed moment: “Since October 7 and what happened at the Opera House on October 9—it was a rude awakening. It led us to see a side of Sydney, NSW and Australia that we haven’t been accustomed to in recent years.”

But anti-Zionist Jewish academics Dr Peter Slezak and Antony Loewenstein both cautioned the inquiry against conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Slezak, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, said, “I think I know antisemitism when I see it, and so did they … it’s to desecrate the memory of my parents and the victims of true antisemitism … when it’s weaponised to silence justified criticism of Israel’s crimes.”

Loewenstein echoed these concerns, stating that “criticism of Israeli government actions—including war crimes—is not antisemitic, even if it makes some people uncomfortable.” He accused politicians and lobbyists of blurring the line between racism and advocacy, adding, “I reject the idea that being Jewish means automatic support for Israel.”

The inquiry continues to examine the extent and impact of antisemitism in NSW, with community leaders calling for greater recognition of how antisemitic incidents affect individual wellbeing and broader social cohesion.