OPINION – Australia’s Antisemitism Crisis and the Royal Commission That Had To Happen
Australia’s reputation as a multicultural paradise has been severely tarnished following the Bondi Beach massacre. Yet what happened at Bondi cannot be viewed as a localized terror tragedy. It follows a pattern that has been unfolding across the West, with echoes in Boulder, Colorado; Manchester; and Washington, DC. The attention it has drawn reflects the scale of the casualties at an iconic landmark—captured on video and broadcast globally.
For the first time in any country since October 7, there has been a large public outpouring of grief in response. Bondi has hit a switch. Suddenly, the magnitude of government inaction has jolted the nation awake.
After unrelenting pressure, the Australian government has agreed to establish a royal commission into antisemitism. Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg initiated the campaign, which drew support from leading figures, including past prime ministers; current and former parliamentarians from both major parties; judges; a former governor-general; a former head of the armed forces; prominent business leaders; former members of security agencies; sporting legends; and leaders of the Jewish community.
A royal commission is a powerful independent inquiry commissioned by the government to investigate matters of major public importance that require impartial scrutiny beyond regular channels. It has broad powers to investigate and hold public hearings. It ultimately reports findings and recommendations that are not legally binding but carry major weight.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spent the last three weeks offering reasons there was no need for a royal commission. Instead, he proposed limited measures intended to insulate his government from fallout while avoiding a hard look at the root causes of antisemitism. His denials drew criticism across the spectrum.
Many critics believe the government feared a royal commission could produce findings that reflect poorly on its handling of tensions since October 7. The government has also been accused of willful blindness to warnings from the Jewish community that the surge in antisemitism that began at the Opera House on October 9, 2023, meant what happened at Bondi came as no surprise.
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At the same time, the Australian Labor Party has been accused of fearing the inquiry could expose how an aggressively anti-Israel posture within parts of its grassroots has helped create fertile ground for antisemitism.
Trade unions—whose ranks have produced many Labor parliamentarians—have been central players in organizing pro-Palestinian marches where anti-Israel, pro-Hamas, and antisemitic invective was on display. Many Jews, long aligned with the Australian Labor Party, have been alienated.
A royal commission has the potential to do the following:
- Raise awareness and educate the public about the reality of antisemitism and its impact on the Jewish community across Australian society.
- Provide accountability by scrutinizing authorities’ conduct in the lead-up to the massacre and their response to hate crimes, increasing pressure for systemic change. It would examine how authorities allowed incendiary slogans and support for Hamas at weekly demonstrations to go unimpeded.
- Mobilize support for measures to counter antisemitism and strengthen protection and security for the Jewish community. This could include legislation to curb hateful speech and educational and social initiatives that promote social harmony.
- Counter misinformation and the spread of harmful stereotypes about the Jewish community. The roles of mainstream and social media in fueling the current climate require scrutiny.
- Engage society to better understand antisemitism and stand in solidarity with the Jewish community as it confronts hatred from the radical left, extreme right, and radical Islamists. Personal testimonies would humanize the problem and strengthen public understanding. Jews are being targeted across all sectors of society.
One example is the harassment of small Jewish businesses, sometimes leading to closures. Ed Halmagyi closed his bakery after daily harassment. The last time this kind of behavior was tolerated, the argument goes, was in 1930s Nazi Germany.
Taken together, such steps could deepen public understanding, empathy, and support for the Jewish community—and provide a counterweight to the messaging and violence that have marked the past two years.
The late chief rabbi of the Commonwealth, Jonathan Sacks, stated that “antisemitism is not a Jewish problem but a problem for all humanity, a warning of the dangers of intolerance.” Tackling antisemitism, in this view, is intertwined with confronting all forms of racism.
Across the world, antisemitism has been allowed to metastasize. In Australia, it has exposed deep rifts and divisions and eroded social cohesion.
With Australia now setting a precedent by establishing a royal commission, the argument continues, other countries facing similar surges in antisemitism should pursue comparable inquiries.
In the US, Congress can conduct hearings; one was held more than a year ago to investigate antisemitism at Ivy League campuses. Antisemitism has been rampant on the left and has been joined by the right, where populists such as Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson have entered the fray. Add the Zohran Mamdani phenomenon and America’s long record of mass killings at schools, churches, and social clubs, and Jews will be forgiven for fearing it is only a matter of time before tragedy hits them.
Canada and the UK also have the power to conduct inquiries similar to a royal commission. Both countries have permitted large-scale immigration of Muslims under the banner of multiculturalism, and many argue that the climate there is worse than Australia’s.
Although the UK has been spared a massacre on Bondi’s scale, antisemitism is portrayed here as more ingrained in its institutions. The West Midlands police’s fabrication of facts to justify banning Tel Aviv Maccabi fans from a soccer match is cited as a prime example. UK counterterrorism authorities appear more engaged in searching for threats, but that does not reduce the case for a serious, society-wide response—one that a royal commission-style inquiry could help drive.
Governments have been put on notice. Antisemitism cannot be wished away. Governments have a duty of care to ensure all citizens can live in peace and tranquility, free of threats and discrimination. Jewish lives matter too!
