Vorchheimer to take on Mashni

Melbourne Jewish community advocate Menachem Vorchheimer has filed Federal Court proceedings against Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni over social media posts from February and March 2025 in which Mashni referred to Israel, Zionism and Judaism as the “Unholy Trinity”.

The claim, supported by the Jewish Centre for Law and Justice (JCLJ), is brought under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975.

“We know that the Holy Trinity in Christianity has a particular religious significance,” Vorchheimer told The AJN.

“So to create the opposite of that, that Judaism, Israel and Zionism [are] unholy, we say, is a form of racial and religious discrimination.”

The Statement of Claim alleges the posts associate Judaism with white supremacy and racism, imply that Jewish people deceitfully weaponise antisemitism to stifle debate in defence of an “evil ideology”, and suggest Jews are demonic or evil because of their belief in Zionism, described in the claim as central to Jewish culture and identity.