Leeser was born in Sydney.[2] His father John,an accountant,was the son of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany,while his mother Sylvia is a fifth-generation Australian whose father was a survivor of the Burma Railway.[3]
After the 2019 election Leeser became chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration and the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs.[2]
Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and resulting Gaza war,Leeser called on Australia to suspend its diplomatic relations with Iran,which he said had been "deeply involved" in the attack and was a "criminal regime".[27] He subsequently announced that he would wear a kippah in federal parliament for one week as a statement against increased anti-semitism in Australia.[28] In November 2023,in response to protests in Australia against the Gaza war,Leeser called for the New South Wales state government to ban vehicle convoys from carrying Palestinian flags,stating that drivers who participate in pro-Palestinian vehicle convoys should have their licences cancelled and their vehicles impounded.[29]
In January 2025,following a rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia,Leeser called for mandatory jail sentences for people convicted of vandalising Jewish sites,stating that "people need to know that if you graffiti a synagogue or a Jewish communal property,you will go to jail".[30]
Personal life
Leeser is married to Joanna Davidson and has two children;James,born in 2018 and Ruth,born in 2022. He lives with his family in Thornleigh.[20][31] Leeser is the first Jewish Liberal member of the House of Representatives from New South Wales and a member of the Emanuel Synagogue in Woollahra.[32]
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