More than 600 people shared their experience with antisemitism as part of a survey conducted by the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia between July 2025 and February 2026.
The survey found 20 per cent of respondents or their relatives had experienced physical violence or verbal abuse, and 69 per cent said they had been called genocidal because they self-identified as Jewish, Israeli or Zionist.
More than 50 per cent of survey respondents said they had heard claims the October 7, 2023 attack on Israelis was “justified” or did not occur.
Ms Leader told the commission the denial of sexual assaults against Jewish women in Israel on October 7, 2023 was particularly harmful.
She said much of the denial could come from the “women’s sector”, and “so-called feminists in so-called progressive spaces” in Australia who would question or “mock” reports of sexual abuse during the Hamas attacks.
Ok, so claims that the rapes didn’t happen is anti-semitism? Or that 50 years of apartheid doesn’t warrant a response? The attack happened, that doesn’t mean everything reported initially was accurate.
Honestly the response by the Israeli government probably has had a bigger impact on anti -semitism than people probably realize or want to admit.