The coalition
About & Resources
Who we are, the sources behind this guide, and how to reach us.
About us
Understanding Antisemitism is produced by a coalition of Jewish people from a number of Jewish organisations, principally from Jewish Voices and Jewish Advocates for Understanding Antisemitism.
Coalition members differ in age, religious observance and political view. We are all signatories to the Jewish Council of Australia’s core principles. Many of us are the children and grandchildren of Holocaust and pogrom survivors and of refugees who found safety in Australia. We share three convictions. Antisemitism is real and must be addressed. Addressing it requires recognising it accurately. And the safety of Jewish Australians is connected to the freedom and dignity of everyone else, including Palestinian Australians.
This guide represents the views of its authors and does not claim to speak for all Jewish Australians.
Why we developed this guide
Australians are being asked to make sense of a difficult public debate, in which the description ‘antisemitic’ is attached to an increasingly wide range of political expression. It is one of the most serious descriptions that can be applied to a person or a statement. We developed this guide in the belief that most people, given clear definitions, accurate evidence and respect for their own judgment, are able to distinguish antisemitism from political disagreement. That distinction serves everyone. Jewish Australians are protected when the term keeps its meaning. Palestinian Australians are able to describe their own history. And contested political questions remain open to the debate a democratic society depends on.
General advice not legal advice
This guide provides general advice. If you have a question about the law you should seek professional legal advice regarding your specific situation.
Our commitments
- Accuracy. The factual claims we make are sourced, and we correct errors when they are identified to us.
- Consistency. We apply the same test in every case, including to expressions we both agree and disagree with, and we publish the conclusions that follow.
- Independence. This is not a government publication and is produced without government funding.
- Seriousness about all forms of racism, including antisemitism.
Resources & references
Frameworks and definitions
- Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (2021) – a scholarly definition, with guidance on Israel and Palestine.
- The Nexus Document – a definition and commentary from the United States Nexus Task Force.
- Australian Human Rights Commission, National Anti-Racism Framework (2024).
Human rights reporting on Israel
- Amnesty International, report on Israel and apartheid (2022).
- Human Rights Watch, ‘A Threshold Crossed’ (2021).
- B’Tselem, report on apartheid (2021).
- International Court of Justice – advisory opinion on the occupied Palestinian territory (2024), and orders in South Africa v Israel.
On the use of antisemitism definitions
- Kenneth Stern on the use of the IHRA working definition.
- European Legal Support Center – reports on the use of the IHRA working definition in Europe and the United Kingdom.
- Federal Court of Australia, [2025] FCA 720 – the Court’s reasoning on criticism of Israel and Zionism and racial vilification.
- Supreme Court of New South Wales, State of New South Wales v Farhat [2026] NSWSC 985 – Fagan J on the IHRA working definition and the distinction between antisemitism and criticism of Israel.
- Geoffrey Robertson, Antisemitism: The IHRA Definition and its Consequences for Freedom of Expression – legal opinion.
Contact
contact@understandingantisemitism.org. We read all correspondence, though we are not able to reply individually to every message.