Antisemitism drops slightly but remains dangerously elevated as Iran-backed extremists target Australian Jewish communities.
Antisemitic incidents in Australia have decreased by 20 percent over the past year, yet remain at historic, crisis-level highs, according to new data released Wednesday by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ). The figures, reported by JNS, reveal that Jew-hatred has not retreated to pre–October 7 norms and continues to permeate mainstream Australian society.
From October 2024 to September 2025, a total of 1,654 antisemitic incidents were recorded—down from 2,062 the previous year, but still five times higher than the yearly average before Hamas’s atrocities triggered a global surge in anti-Jewish hostility.
The most alarming revelation: serious violent incidents, including arson attacks on synagogues, preschools, and Jewish institutions, have reached their highest levels on record.
ECAJ president Daniel Aghion KC warned that antisemitism is no longer confined to extremist fringes. “Anti-Jewish racism has become normalized,” he said, citing its spread across universities, arts institutions, health facilities, and workplaces. “Jews now have legitimate concerns for their physical safety and social well-being.”
Aghion emphasized the crucial importance of hosting the J7 Conference in Australia, arguing that national unity is urgently required to counter the threat.
Among the most disturbing recent episodes were the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and a string of coordinated attacks in Sydney—including a car set ablaze and multiple properties defaced with anti-Israel graffiti in Jewish neighborhoods.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that Iran’s regime directly orchestrated major arson attacks against Jewish targets, prompting Australia to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism last week.
Other incidents included:
- “F- the Jews” spray-painted on a Sydney car
- Vandalism of the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah
- Red swastikas covering the Newtown Synagogue
- A Melbourne synagogue set ablaze while worshipers were inside, the same night a nearby Israeli restaurant was severely damaged
Despite overwhelming evidence of antisemitic motives, an Australian judge controversially ruled that the man who torched the Melbourne synagogue acted due to mental illness—an assessment widely criticized by Jewish leaders for minimizing the ideological background of escalating hatred.
Australia’s report reflects a global trend: a massive, sustained rise in antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, much of it fueled by Iran’s information networks, extremist groups, and anti-Israel agitation.
