Introduction

The Australian Jewish community is very much part of mainstream Australia, as it has been for most of the modern period. The facts that two of Australia's Governors-General have been Jewish, that Jews have been able to participate in the political process from very early time and that military and public figures such as General Sir John Monash are important public icons, gives Australian Jewry a real sense of belonging and creates obstacles to those antisemitic organisations who would seek to present Jews as being in some way un-Australian.

There is no evidence to suggest that Australians in general think of Jews in negative terms. Unlike many other societies, Australia does not have a past to which antisemites can look to with nostalgia. However, this does not mean that anti-Jewish prejudice is absent. Anecdotal evidence suggests that, within each stratum and sub-stratum of society, a minority of Australians hold strong anti-Jewish views or regard Jews as outside acceptable society.

From the earliest days of European settlement there have been elements within the community who have sought to delegitimise Jews as part of the mainstream of Australian society. For some, the only true Australian has been a Christian. For others, Jews have represented an "other" which is excluded from full participation in society and treated in a manner befitting an "un-Australian" force.

Characteristics of Antisemitism in Australia
Antisemitism in Australia goes beyond simple contempt, hatred or discrimination based on the fact that a Jewish person is in some way different. For some, there is anti-Jewish prejudice which equates to, for example, anti-Asian, anti-Aborigine, anti-Arab or anti-African prejudice, expressing itself in terms of racial superiority. Far more sinister, however, is prejudice which seeks to contribute particular characteristics, motives or agendas to Jewish Australians, portraying them as not only different but threatening to the well-being of Australian society.

Stereotypes In Australia
Vilification of Jews is present to varying degrees throughout the media and at many different levels of society. In areas as diverse and unlikely as sport and gardening, commentators invoked imagery of Jewish people as unethical, stingy or otherwise uncharitable. Anti-Jewish humour in social contexts also often revolved, in Australia in the mid-1990s, around such stereotypes. The impact of the racism debate was felt throughout the community, including in schools and the workplace. On the factory floor, in shopping centres and in educational institutions, members of the Jewish community reported hearing a dramatic increase in anti-Jewish stereotyping and verbal expressions of belief that Jews are part of an anti-Christian conspiracy whenever far-right-wing groups receive uncritical publicity.

Conspiracy Theories
There are a number of types of prejudice and vilification which are specific to Jews. A common thread in these is that Jews represent an existential threat to non-Jews and have enormous power and drive to achieve their aim of world control. Extremist organisations actively propagate the myth that there is a plot by some or all Jews, acting alone or in collusion with other "elites", to control international finance, media and politics. The importance of the "Jewish conspiracy" allegation is that it becomes the rationalisation for taking extreme, violent action, allegedly in "self-defence" against the conspirators. By their very nature, conspiracy theories dehumanise the "conspirators", who are indelibly marked as targets for "revenge". In relatively stable political and economic circumstances, the conspiracy theories are less important than at a time when individuals are looking for scapegoats, but the presence in Australia of a base group who believe and promote this strand of antisemitism is a matter for concern.

Holocaust Denial
Virtually all Australian antisemitic organisations either advocate Holocaust Denial or argue that Holocaust deniers have a right to be taken seriously. In the majority of cases Holocaust Denial appears as a central plank in the antisemitic organisations' platforms, even though the less sophisticated of these groups simultaneously espouse admiration of Adolf Hitler's policies towards Jews. (See Countering Denial)

Words to Action
The Australian Jewish community also experiences hundreds of incidents each year of harassment, intimidation, vandalism or other acts which can be described as racist violence. While it is difficult to prove the causal connection between individual instances of antisemitic vilification and physical actions motivated by anti-Jewish hatred or prejudice, it is not at all difficult to draw the nexus between hateful language and acts motivated by hate.

Responses to Antisemitism in Australia
A range of responses are necessary if a society is serious about limiting, if not eliminating, antisemitism. The victims of attacks need to have legal recourse. Political and moral leadership is vital, especially when it is framed in a way to define antisemitism as an issue to be dealt with by the society as a whole, not just the antisemites' targets. Education to combat prejudice, informally and formally, provides a basis for a society equipped to respond to what antisemitism may be imported or develop.

From: ANNUAL REPORT ON ANTISEMITISM IN AUSTRALIA Researched and written by Jeremy Jones, Executive Vice-President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Director of Community Affairs of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, October 1998