Lead
Jewish students and academics have told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion that they faced pervasive antisemitism at Australian universities, including Nazi salutes, hateful slurs, and threats, and that university responses were often inadequate or delayed. The commission, currently holding hearings in Melbourne, is examining the lived experiences of Jewish students and staff at universities, particularly since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.
Coverage comparison
ABC Australia reported extensively on the personal stories of victims, while The Guardian – World focused on the institutional failures of universities to protect their Jewish members. Both outlets highlighted the emotional toll on victims and the lack of effective action by university administrations. The Guardian additionally noted the upcoming requirement for universities to adopt formal definitions on antisemitism.
Key claims
Australian National University
A Jewish former student, using the pseudonym 'Liat', told the commission she experienced a "low level of hum of antisemitism" at the Australian National University (ANU), which she said escalated into Nazi gestures and salutes and being called a "baby killer" and "genocide supporter". Liat, who described herself as proudly Zionist with both parents born in Israel, said she left home in 2022 at age 18 to attend ANU and was initially told by the Middle Eastern student club that she was "not Middle Eastern, you're Jewish".
During a 2024 student association annual general meeting held on Zoom, Liat said a student made a "Nazi moustache" gesture and another made a Nazi salute while she spoke in front of hundreds of students. ANU's acting provost, Joan Leach, told the commission that in the moustache case, the student was actually covering a scar from a cleft palate and habitually made the gesture "in multiple contexts". No misconduct was found against that student, and the university later dismissed the allegations of offensive gestures. In the salute case, Professor Leach said it was "virtually impossible to tell" if it was a Nazi salute.
Liat also described being told at a university event "we're not friends any more, you're a Zionist", and losing the vast majority of her non-Jewish friends after October 7, 2023. She told the hearing that ANU either took too long to respond or did not act at all when she lodged complaints about antisemitic behaviour on campus.
The commission also heard from a university student whose relatives had been killed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. The student was asked to provide their relatives' death certificates to receive an exam extension. Counsel representing the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Yasser Bakri, said the student had requested more time due to grief, but a supervisor demanded proof of the deaths. Professor Leach said she was unaware of the case but agreed the response was inappropriate and lacked empathy.
Monash University
Paris Enten, now a legal associate for a Federal Court judge, told the commission about her first day at Monash University when a student approached her to ask about socialism. After she mentioned she was Jewish and had spent time on a Kibbutz in Israel, the student replied that his group was anti-Zionist, and a girl who joined him told her, "we won't stop until people like you are kicked off campus" and asked if she "liked killing Palestinians".
Ms Enten said the incident left her "quite upset and devastated". She made a complaint to Monash University, which initially felt supportive, but was later told that on the balance of probabilities, the university did not have enough evidence to substantiate her version of events. By 2024, her experiences had escalated to the extent that her mental health deteriorated. The commission also heard that a lecturer at Monash made a comment about "good Jews" being non-Zionist.
University of New South Wales
An academic at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), referred to as ACJ, said four students performed Nazi salutes towards him during a business class for international students in 2024. ACJ, a tutor and PhD candidate, said, "my grandparents had survived the Holocaust, the Nazis … murdered a huge proportion of my family … And so when someone does a Nazi salute at me it feels like they want to kill me."
He said he was not certain the students knew he was Jewish, but their behaviour seemed clearly directed. He reported the incident to his supervisors and to NSW police. The students were initially issued a formal warning and later suspended after the police investigation.
University of Wollongong
A secular Jewish academic from the University of Wollongong (UOW), using the pseudonym ZR, told the ABC he received a "threatening" six-page typed letter full of antisemitic hatred, which he believed was sent because his name "sounds Jewish". He said, "Every time I go onto campus, I wondered to myself is there going to be someone waiting for me with an axe or a gun?"
He reported the letter to police but said there was no university process for reporting antisemitism beyond a generic form for workplace health concerns. After the Bondi terror attack in December last year, he escalated his concerns but said UOW's response was so inadequate that he lost his sense of safety and now works remotely whenever possible. Documentation between ZR and UOW from March this year acknowledged an "unacceptable" delay in providing a personal protection plan. ZR said, "Fourteen months have gone by, and I haven't heard from anybody in a leadership position. Nobody has picked up the phone to say are you OK? Do you need anything?"
UOW said it would "cooperate" with the royal commission and assist staff with personal protection plans when necessary.
Perspectives
Jewish witnesses
Students and academics described feeling unsafe, unsupported, and traumatized by antisemitic incidents. They criticized universities for slow or inadequate responses, which they said compounded their distress and in some cases forced them to hide their identity or work remotely.
Universities
ANU's acting provost acknowledged inappropriate responses in individual cases but explained specific incidents, such as the gesture during the Zoom meeting, as non-antisemitic. UOW stated it would cooperate with the royal commission and provide support to staff.
Regulatory outlook
Both ABC Australia and The Guardian – World reported that universities will be required to adopt new anti-racism measures and definitions on antisemitism from next year. This follows the commission's examination of university responses to antisemitism.