Australia, UK Tackle Antisemitism Surge After Oct 7

Jewish communities in Australia and the United Kingdom are confronting a surge in antisemitic incidents following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, with public testimonies and violent attacks prompting official inquiries and heightened security measures.

In Australia, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion began its first block of public hearings on Monday in Sydney, presided over by former High Court judge Virginia Bell. Witnesses described personal encounters that have eroded their sense of safety. Nir Golan recounted an October 2023 incident on a busy Sydney street, where a man approached him while he wore a traditional kippah skullcap, shouting racial slurs including "dirty Jew," performing a Nazi salute and mimicking a gun to his forehead. The episode lasted one to two minutes in broad daylight, yet bystanders largely ignored it, with only an American tourist intervening before being assaulted. Golan reported the matter to police, who cited a lack of CCTV footage as a barrier to action. He now conceals his kippah under a baseball cap and ensures his children change out of their Jewish school uniforms in public.

Businessman Peter Halasz, a...