Education focus for Australian antisemitism royal commission

Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is focusing on education as a key strategy to combat hate. The inquiry, currently in its sixth hearing block in Sydney, is exploring how educational and policy frameworks can improve social cohesion across various sectors, including government, workplaces, healthcare, schools, and the arts.

Several prominent figures are slated to provide evidence. Rabbi Mendel Kastel, CEO of Jewish House, and Breann Fallon, CEO of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, are among those scheduled to speak. Clare Sharp, Head of Immigration at the Department of Home Affairs, will also give testimony. The commission has received a submission from education leader David Gonski regarding the Antisemitism Education Taskforce, established after the Bondi Beach terror attack.

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Antisemitism in schools could be prevented and better addressed through comprehensive education about the Holocaust, targeted antisemitism education programs, visits to institutions such as the Sydney Jewish Museum, clearer school policies for reporting antisemitic behaviour without fear of retaliation, and improved awareness among both students and staff of contemporary antisemitism, including how it appears online.

This taskforce developed a "social cohesion hub" for schools and teachers, aimed at combating antisemitism with a projected cost of $6 million over five years. Gonski is expected to elaborate on this initiative. The commission has previously heard personal accounts, such as that of university student Maya Hockey, who shared her experiences with antisemitism in Sydney high schools. She emphasized the critical role of comprehensive Holocaust education, targeted antisemitism programs, and visits to institutions like the Sydney Jewish Museum in preventing and addressing hate speech in classrooms.

Further testimony has highlighted the pervasive nature of antisemitism, even in professional settings. Healthcare workers have reported experiencing or witnessing antisemitism in the workplace. Joshua Gomperts, a Jewish paramedic, recounted a disturbing incident where he was threatened with a knife by a firefighter who invoked Holocaust imagery. Another NSW Health worker testified under a pseudonym about her manager's request to remove posters advocating for the release of hostages in Israel.

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He pulls out a large hunting knife and looks at me and goes, 'I would skin you the way my family skinned yours in the camps'. I was shocked at that moment.