Media Releases

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) Executive Manager Joel Burnie joined other diaspora leaders in New York to discuss how Jewish communities around the world are coping in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel.

Appearing at the American Jewish Committee’s annual “Global Forum” –  a premier gathering of Jewish leaders, policy makers, and activists  – on April 27, Burnie said, “The fact that I’m sitting here on this stage right now talking about an antisemitism crisis is in stark contrast to what we all thought Australia was for Jews… a haven.”

Burnie said Australia’s Jewish community was “under siege” since the Hamas massacre, facing not only a harsh new reality in a country it once saw as a safe refuge, but also a federal government that has maintained an increasingly antagonistic relationship with Israel.

Since October 7, Burnie said, “in every single aspect of Australian society, Jews have really come up against it. So, it’s a significantly deeper problem than just anti-Zionism. Australia has an antisemitism problem.”

He explained that before the massacre, antisemitism in Australia seemed “contained in a box,” but when Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel, “that box was unfortunately opened.”

Burnie cited a surge in antisemitic incidents that began “literally in the hours, not days” after the attacks.

He told attendees that the Albanese Government had presided over a “steady departure” from Australia’s “longstanding bipartisan positions” on Israel since it took power in 2022. This shift, he said, meant the Government “failed to recognise the gravity of the antisemitic problem in time.”

As a result, Burnie said, the Government’s initial response was “ineffective… which allowed the problem to fester and essentially put the Jewish community under siege.”

Despite the challenges, Burnie said Australia’s Jewish community has drawn inspiration from the resilience shown by Israelis on October 7, gaining “strength, resilience, determination, and grit.”

 The video of his appearance at the Global Forum can be viewed here: