Australian antisemitism 'passed point of no return,' Jewish leader tells 'Post' after emigrating

Dr. David Adler, former president of the Australian Jewish Association, has relocated to Israel, asserting that antisemitism in Australia has "passed the point of no return." Adler cited a significant increase in anti-Israel extremism and a general deterioration of conditions in Australia as reasons for his family's move.

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Australian antisemitism “has passed the point of no return.”

Adler told The Jerusalem Post that while "aliyah has been in preparation for a long, long period of time," the events of October 7th "unleashed a level of antisemitism and anti-Israel extremism that I didn’t think could occur in Australia." He described celebrations on the streets by some Muslim groups the day after the attacks and riots outside the Sydney Opera House on October 9th. Adler expressed shock at the authorities' "failure to act" following these incidents, noting that no arrests were made despite laws being broken and high-definition CCTV coverage.

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We’ve seen a general deterioration in Australia for a long time. Australia has essentially outsourced its manufacturing. Its defense capacity is down. National identity is being lost. Education standards are down. There is a crazy socialist activism, left-wing activism. Those things have been building gradually. But no doubt October 7 unleashed a level of antisemitism and anti-Israel extremism that I didn’t think could occur in Australia.

Since then, Adler stated, "it’s been all downhill," and he has received numerous threats, including death threats. He believes the trends in Australia have reached a tipping point and sees no confidence in "efficient action being taken to deal with it," despite an ongoing Royal Commission. Adler attributes the anti-Jewish violence predominantly to Islamic extremism, arguing that Australia has not taken sufficient action, such as expelling hate preachers or closing extremist mosques. He concluded that the "whole antisemitic, anti-Israel extremism is on a level that no one forecast."

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On October 8, there were some leaders of the Muslim community and some Muslim groups in Australia celebrating on the streets. On October 9, we had the riots in front of the Opera House.