Antisemitism is real.
Recognising real antisemitism matters.
This is a guide to understanding antisemitism in Australia. Antisemitism is anti-Jewish racism. Like all types of racism it targets people because of their identity.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for people trying to understand antisemitism, including people in large organisations.
Many Australian organisations – universities, councils, workplaces, cultural institutions and government bodies – are asked to adopt a definition of antisemitism, most often the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition. The request is usually seen as a way to signal that antisemitism is being taken seriously.
We share the goal of addressing antisemitism. It is real, and every person and organisation should be equipped to recognise and respond to it. This guide sets out how to identify antisemitism accurately, and explains why we, along with a growing number of Jewish organisations, legal experts, human rights bodies and Australian institutions, do not recommend adopting the IHRA working definition to do it.
Antisemitism must be addressed – as must all forms of racism
Antisemitism is present in Australia today, and it causes real harm. Addressing it, alongside addressing all forms of racism, is a responsibility shared across the whole of society.
We are Jewish Australians who hold a range of views about Israel and Zionism. We have prepared this guide in the shared belief that being precise about what is and is not antisemitism protects Jewish people, and protects the open debate that a democratic society depends on.
We believe that addressing antisemitism begins with recognising it accurately. When antisemitism is defined too broadly – so that it includes political debate about the state of Israel – the term is debased, legitimate political expression is chilled or censured, and the task of protecting Jewish communities becomes harder.
This guide helps you:
Recognise antisemitism – through a clear test, five distinctions about Israel and Zionism that often cause confusion, five practical questions for telling antisemitism apart from political speech, and clear examples.
Understand contested language – apartheid, genocide, ‘from the river to the sea’ and more – term by term.
We then set out what organisations should do: why the IHRA definition is the wrong tool, and why antisemitism is best addressed as part of tackling all forms of racism.
Everything is fully referenced, with resources for further reading.
A clear test
Antisemitism targets Jewish people because they are Jewish. Who is being targeted and why does more work than any list of prohibited words. The test is consistent with Australian laws such as the federal Racial Discrimination Act. We explain how to apply it.
Read the test →The language people ask about
Apartheid. Genocide. ‘From the river to the sea.’ Intifada. Zionism. The keffiyeh. The watermelon. We work through contested words and symbols one by one: what each means, where it comes from, and what it does and does not tell us about the person using it.
Open the guide →Grounded in evidence
This guide draws on published scholarship, international human rights analysis, Australian court decisions, and the work of Australia’s own human rights institutions. We provide our sources so that you can check them.
See the sources →A word is not antisemitic because of its intensity, or the discomfort it causes. It is antisemitic if it targets Jewish people because they are Jewish.