Background
The Jewish Council of Australia was founded as an Australian Jewish advocacy organisation [1] in late 2023 [2] or early 2024 by self-described progressive Jews. [3] [4] It took its name from the Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Anti-Semitism, a left-wing 1940s organisation that represented Australian Jews and was "the official political link between the Jewish community and the general public", founded by the father of the co-founder of the JCA, Max Kaiser. [2] JCA was formed to represent non-Zionist Australian Jews; [5] support Palestinian causes; [6] oppose antisemitism and racism; [7] [8] [9] and to dispute smears against the pro-Palestinian movement, suggesting that criticism of Israel is in itself antisemitic. [2]
Co-founder Max Kaiser said that JCA was founded "as an independent expert body of scholars, lawyers, writers, and teachers focusing on the issue of antisemitism and racism and advocating for a cease-fire", as "a response to the political situation we found ourselves in after October 7. Established Jewish organizations were pushing a narrative... that conflated 'Jews' with 'Israel'. In this narrative, legitimate anti-Israel criticism is portrayed as somehow antisemitic and an attack on Jewish people — particularly when it comes from Palestinians". [2]
Positions and activities
The organisation was founded on the premise that the existing Jewish bodies insufficiently represented the diversity of Jewish viewpoints regarding criticism of the State of Israel and its positions vis-a-vis the Palestinians. JCA's position is that it will combat far-right antisemitism and neo-Nazism. [9]
The Jewish Council opposes Australia's legislating the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. [11] [12]
It has criticised what it classifies as conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism. In February 2024 it criticised speakers at a rally in support of Israel for "weaponising the Holocaust" and treating criticism of Israel as antisemitic, and in May 2024 stated that claims of antisemitism were "being used to crack down on legitimate political expression and peaceful protests on campuses" in relation to pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses. [12] [13]
In May 2024, the organisation stated their support for Labor Senator Fatima Payman when she described the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip as a "genocide". [14] The Jewish Council also criticised the Albanese government for appointing Jillian Segal as special envoy on antisemitism, stating that she would be unable to differentiate between criticism of Israel and antisemitism. [3]
In September 2024, the organisation gave evidence to a Senate inquiry on antisemitism at Australian universities, stating their opposition to the Coalition's proposed legislation relating to antisemitism on campuses. [15] In the written submission, the organisation opposed the bill as "to establish a Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism considering its potential to create a hierarchy of categories of racism, exacerbate division, and undermine collaborative, multicultural, multi-faith efforts to tackle racism". [16]
In January 2025, JCA executive officer Sarah Schwartz, gave a presentation at an anti-racism symposium comedy event at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). [17] [18] [19] One of her presentation slides, titled "Dutton's Jew", was intended to ridicule the "imaginary conception of Jewish people" held by Opposition leader Peter Dutton and the Coalition, who in her view were using "Jews and the Jewish community as political footballs to push a rightwing political agenda". [20] The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) [21] [22] and NSW Jewish Board of Deputies criticised the slide, [19] and Education Minister Jason Clare called on the university to enforce its code of conduct. [17] After the Anti-Defamation Commission also criticised the slide, [23] Schwartz responded that the backlash to her presentation was the result of a smear campaign by "the Murdoch press and pro-Israel lobby groups". [20] In February, QUT commissioned former Federal Court judge John Middleton to review the event. He found that the slides "were not antisemitic in nature nor were they offensive to those actually present at the debate", and that the presentations, in context of the purpose of the debate, was aligned with the university's standards. He was critical of News Corp's reporting of the event. [24]
Around 10 days after the terrorist attack on a group of Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Sydney's Bondi Beach on 14 December 2014, the JCA published an online petition calling upon Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Premier Chris Minns, and all Australian leaders to stand against "those who are weaponising the Bondi massacre to push bigotry, hatred and division", stating "Pitting Jewish safety against Palestinians, Muslims and migrant communities, and eroding all of our civil liberties, doesn't make Jews safer. It makes the real fight against antisemitism harder". [25] By 28 December, the petition had attracted 37,391 signatures. [26]
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