Melbourne Jewish teenager Sophie Basist intends to be prime minister one day.
If she gets to the Lodge, a speech she gave to an anti-terrorism rally in Melbourne on the steps of the Victorian Parliament recently may well be seen as the start of her political career.
The South Caulfield 15-year-old has become one of Australia’s youngest Jewish advocates, using Instagram to defend Israel and combat antisemitism while juggling year 10 studies.
Her work has been so impressive that B’nai B’rith International presented their first-ever Upstander Award to her for standing proudly and publicly with Israel, and for calling out antisemitism when it would have been easier to stay quiet.
Her appearance at the rally on the steps of Victoria’s State Parliament, alongside Iranian and Hindu groups, catapulted her from a passionate local voice to a nationally recognised advocate.
“My dream is to be a politician. I’d love to be prime minister,” Sophie told The AJN matter-of-factly. “First female Liberal prime minister.”
It’s an ambitious goal, but one that seems less far-fetched after witnessing the confidence with which this teenager addresses crowds of 1000 people and handles daily hate messages with aplomb.
From tradition to activism
Sophie’s journey into activism began long before October 7, rooted in a traditionally Jewish upbringing in South Caulfield.
“My family is very traditionally Jewish, so we have Shabbat dinner every week. We go to shule on the High Holy Days. And Judaism was always a really big part of my life,” she explains.
Her religious observance deepened as she grew older.
“I started wanting to become more religious. And I started going to South Caulfield shule, and then I started running the kids’
program and the bat mitzvah program recently, and that definitely made me feel more connected to my Judaism.”
This growing connection to her faith would prove crucial when the events of October 7 unfolded.
Sophie was at the Mount Scopus Memorial College Simchat Torah celebration when Hamas launched its attack on Israel.
“A lot of people there weren’t checking their phones, so no one really knew what was happening. And it was a bit of a shock to me, because I always knew about Israel. I was always Zionist, but I’d never been to Israel before. I wasn’t that educated on all the history.”
The aftermath of October 7 became a turning point.
“After October 7 and seeing everything come out, and the atrocities, what Hamas did, it’s what made me want to educate myself more, and then when I started learning, I started realising it really was annoying me what they were saying, it wasn’t the truth. And I really just wanted to advocate.”
Filling a gap in youth advocacy
Sophie had already been vocal on social media, but initially only to friends and family.
“I think even before I started advocating on social media, I was very vocal, just posting for people that followed me, just my friends and family.”
What motivated her to expand her reach was a gap she identified in Jewish advocacy.
“I was seeing the antisemitism and the youth in Australia that was being indoctrinated, and I just knew that there was no one like me. There was no one my age that was advocating for Israel. There were all the older advocates in the community, but there was no one my age.”
Her mission became clear.
“I felt like there needed to be someone like a teenager that stood up, and that was my mission, to encourage other teenagers because we’re the next generation, and we’re the people that are going to have to deal with antisemitism.”
Sophie’s content covers current affairs from a youth perspective.
“I post current affairs, news, for example, what happened at the [East Melbourne] shule. And then when the Prime Minister came out with the new task force, I posted about that, and my videos are very much centred from a youth perspective, like how I feel being a teenager in today’s society.”
Her videos consistently end with the same message: “I always say, you’re never too young to advocate.”
Mixed reactions from peers
The response has been mixed but predominantly positive.
“I’ve had a lot of good response from non-Jews, especially after [the anti-terrorism rally], I was getting a lot of messages from non-Jews,” she says.
However, the reaction from some of her Jewish peers at school has been more complicated.
“From other Jewish teenagers, like at school, it’s hard because my dream would be for everyone to want to advocate with me, but that’s obviously not the case. And a lot of people think I’m a bit too serious for my age.”
“I think anything you can do matters, whether you’re just having a conversation with someone, you talk about your beliefs. I think one of the things you can do is just learn about it and educate yourself. Because if you’re educated, I think you can argue with anyone.”
Some classmates suggest she should be focused on typical teenage activities, but Sophie is resolute.
“I would rather do this than go to parties, but that’s just me, you know?”
There have been plenty of positive feedback as well, with plenty of people telling her they want to get involved.
Negative feedback is a daily reality.
“Well, yeah, I get messages every day, like, Free Palestine, all of that. But I think that’s just expected.”
However, she’s found support from unexpected quarters, with several teachers emailing her to praise her work.
Rally marks watershed moment
The anti-terrorism rally in Melbourne on July 6 marked a watershed moment.
“For a year before that, I was posting videos and people were noticing me, but definitely not like [that], and that was definitely a big jump for my advocacy. It was amazing.”
The confidence to address 1000 people seems to come naturally to someone who has “always been quite an outspoken person from a very young age”.
One response particularly moved her.
“I got a comment, it was this lady, and she said that she showed my video to her non-Jewish daughter, nine years old, and she used me as an example, not just about Israel, she’s pro-Israel, but just to show that you’re never too young to advocate for what you believe in.”
Mother’s pride and anxiety
For her mother, Marni Weinstein, watching her daughter’s activism has been a source of both immense pride and considerable anxiety.
Speaking both for herself and Sophie’s Dad, Josh Basist, she said, “It’s very hard as a parent, because to say no, you’re not allowed, it’s not a good lesson, because what she wants to do is so admirable.”
The family initially tried to limit Sophie’s exposure.
“When she first started her page we didn’t let her do any videos for a long time or post any photos of herself. But then she’s very strong, as you can tell, and so it evolved into posting videos, no surname, but posting videos.”
Marni monitors everything Sophie posts and occasionally intervenes.
“Yeah, I have made my views known about [some things]. I’m a bit cautious with some of the politics. I always want her to be respectful and sound very rational and civil and respectful.”
The lead-up to July’s rally was particularly stressful.
“Sophie knew I had a lot of anxiety about it. And me and her dad, we were on the same page about just letting her go but we decided to attend and assess if we were comfortable with letting her proceed with her speech.”
Safety remains a constant concern.
“The thing I worry about with Sophie is that she will think she’s invincible, and that’s why I was cautious about the safety, because we know that no one should be violent, but there are crazy people, and you can’t control what other people do.”
“I was seeing the antisemitism and the youth in Australia that was being indoctrinated, and I just knew that there was no one like me. There was no one my age that was advocating for Israel.”
Despite the worries, Marni’s pride is unmistakable.
“It goes without saying how proud I am, so proud. I don’t know where Sophie gets this confidence from, I don’t think it’s from us. So, it’s in her soul.”
Sophie has also become a catalyst for her family’s religious observance.
“She kind of brought us all closer to it,” Marni notes, explaining how Sophie goes to South Caulfield shule with her grandparents every week.
Future plans and Holocaust education
Looking ahead, Sophie has concrete plans.
“I want to go to Monash to study politics or law. My dream was to create an organisation or something for Jewish teens in the community that want a space where they’re able to advocate for Israel. Because I don’t think that we have that.”
Her interest in Holocaust education has become another driving force. “This year at school, I did a Holocaust studies elective. I saw that the Nazis and the people that perpetrated the Holocaust, they were just ordinary people. They weren’t born evil.”
This realisation has intensified her mission. “Seeing that made my mission even louder, I guess, because we saw how ordinary people were able to perpetrate really bad things. And [with the] attack on East Melbourne synagogue, we saw what happened in pre-Nazi Germany.”
The connection between historical and contemporary antisemitism alarms her.
“The government was allowing that to happen, and there was a rise in antisemitism. Seeing that really scared me, and it showed that we were wrong about the Holocaust not being able to be repeatable.”
For Sophie, the urgency of her advocacy stems from a simple reality.
“We’re the next generation. We’re the ones that are being affected by antisemitism now. And I think that having like a young voice is really impactful, because a lot of the people that are being antisemitic and pro-Palestine now are young people so I think that it’s the only way to combat this.”
Her advice to other Jewish teenagers is straightforward.
“Obviously, what I’m doing is a lot, and not everyone has the confidence to post videos of themselves. I think anything you can do matters, whether you’re just having a conversation with someone, you talk about your beliefs. I think one of the things you can do is just learn about it and educate yourself. Because if you’re educated, I think you can argue with anyone.”
You can follow Sophie’s Instagram channel: @israelisreal_18
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