The Zionist Federation of Australia is deeply concerned about the welfare of Jewish students on Australian campuses, and supports the Australasian Union of Jewish Students’ call to action. The AUJS statement is here.
ZFA CEO Alon Cassuto said, “We warned universities last year about the manifestations of antisemitism on campuses, but the situation has gotten worse since that time. There has been a collective absence of leadership, with appalling and intimidatory behaviour being ignored in the hope that it will go away. Instead, in the face of inaction, it’s gotten worse.”
Mr Cassuto continued, “Student union representatives openly support Hamas. Students are singled out in classes. Jewish students are scared to complain for fear their marks will be affected. They are staying away from campus and transferring away from the worst universities.”
“Societal cohesion requires community and political leaders to publicly and strongly call out and push back on those seeking to undermine that cohesion. Antisemitism under the guise of political discourse is still antisemitism. We must be vigilant and clear in our opposition to any form of hate on our campuses.”
Mr Cassuto concluded, “We stand with AUJS in demanding immediate action to preserve the safety and dignity of all students. It’s crucial for university leaders to implement and enforce policies that protect all members of the academic community. Every student deserves to learn in a space free from fear and intimidation.”
Background
In 2023, the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Australasian Union of Jewish Students commissioned a national survey of Jewish university students to assess the levels of antisemitism on campus. The survey was conducted in March and April 2023, with the survey released in August.
The survey results can be found here: www.zfa.com.au/survey
The survey found that two-thirds of Jewish university students have faced antisemitism at university. It found that one-quarter of Jewish students had been involuntarily singled out or excluded over issues related to Israel. It found that Jewish students often hide their Jewish identity on campus, or avoid campus altogether in order to avoid antisemitism. It found that students often don’t make complaints, because they have little faith in the complaints system, and that they fear their marks will be affected.
These results were communicated to Australian universities and to the Education Minister last year, before Hamas began the current war with its barbaric attack on Israeli civilians on 7 October. Since that time, the situation for Australian Jewish students on campus has dramatically worsened.
