Wake-up call Australia cannot ignore

There is a huge problem happening right now, in Australia, and across the world, but it is particularly urgent here. The recent terrorist attack in Bondi, the deadliest in Australian history specifically targeting the Jewish community, was not just a tragedy; it was a wake-up call.

In response, Israel’s President, the Honourable Isaac Herzog is visiting Australia to pay his respects to the survivors, to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones, and to the general Australian Jewish population. Herzog is not a political figure in the traditional sense, the is more akin to a Governor-General in Australia, a representative of the nation and its people. And he comes from Israel, the only Jewish state in the entire world, and the only Western democracy in the Middle East.

Yet here in Australia, a Western democracy, there have been widespread protests, misinformation, and hostile upheaval. Eyewitnesses I spoke with from both Sydney and Melbourne reported protesters chanting slogans such as “Globalize the Intifada” and “Death to the IDF,” which, in my opinion, seem closer to hate speech than freedom of speech. One friend told me that she did not even feel safe, let alone comfortable, walking to the train station. And this is not even two months after the Bondi terrorist attack.

What I found particularly striking is the profile of the protesters: many were white Australians, predominantly young, though there were older participants as well. Another friend of mine, who attended the protest in Sydney undercover, told me that these young Australians genuinely and wholeheartedly believe that President Herzog is a war criminal and that Israel is committing genocide. They believe that marching is helping Palestinians. The level of indoctrination is alarming. These young people, who are our future, are absorbing a narrative that fosters and fuels anti-Semitism, or, as I like to call it, Jew hatred.

The Bondi attack did not happen in a vacuum. It is a direct consequence of the rise of anti-Zionism. That ideology creates an environment where Jewish blood can be shed, where hatred becomes normalized, and where violence can be justified. If we do not recognize that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, we will never address the root of the problem.

The fact that there is such upheaval in Australia simply because the Israeli president is visiting highlights the scale of the issue. It shows how deeply embedded anti-Zionism has become in public discourse, in social media, and in the minds of impressionable youth. Unfortunately, some who identify as Jewish further muddy the waters, separating anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism, inadvertently fuelling the fire that threatens our community.

I don’t have all the answers. But one thing is clear: governments in Australia and around the world must wake up. They need to acknowledge that the modern face of anti-Semitism is anti-Zionism, full stop. No exceptions. No excuses. If we do not, we risk more tragedies like Bondi (G-d forbid) and the continued erosion of safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide. Standing silent is not an option.

Chavi Israel, a survivor of the Bondi terror attack, is the founder of The Empowered Jew.