ARZA Australia with support from KKL and ARZENU are organising rigorous examination of the mechanisms driving contemporary antisemitism and anti-Zionism. These symposia feature leading experts who will deconstruct how language is manipulated, how historical narratives are weaponized, and how the law can address the resulting harm.

We believe that this kind of rigorous scrutiny matters urgently in Australia right now, precisely because the antisemitism of today often does not announce itself as hatred of Jews — it arrives dressed as anti-Zionism, a political stance that claims moral legitimacy while often reproducing the oldest tropes in new clothing.

The past two years have seen synagogue arsons, a foiled mass-casualty plot, university encampments where Jewish students report being targeted for perceived support of Israel’s existence, and the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack — a pattern in which hostility toward the Jewish state slides, often deliberately, into hostility toward Jews themselves.

Distinguishing legitimate criticism of Israeli policy from this newer, more socially acceptable vehicle for old prejudice is one of the defining challenges facing Australian public life, and it requires more than intuition — it requires careful analysis of how the slide actually happens.

That’s why a symposium built around language, history, and law is so well suited to the moment. Anti-Zionism as antisemitism-by-other-means works by redefining words (so that denying Jewish self-determination sounds like standard anti-colonial politics), by flattening history (so Jewish indigeneity to the land is erased or inverted), and by testing legal and institutional boundaries (so incitement can shelter under the banner of activism).

Naming these mechanisms precisely — rather than treating every instance as an isolated incident — is what allows journalists, educators, policymakers, and community leaders to tell the difference between genuine political debate and its use as a permission structure for Jew-hatred. In Australia’s current climate, that clarity isn’t just academic; it’s essential to keeping public discourse honest and communities safe.

The symposia are intended to take place in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide. Below are the details for Sydney and Melbourne events:

Melbourne Event

Wednesday 12 August 2026
6:30 pm (Melbourne time)
In-person TBA & Online via Zoom

Register here: events.humanitix.com/arza-mel
Gold coin donation (ARZA members) | $10 (non-members)

Sydney Event

Monday 17 August 2026
6:30 pm (Sydney time)
In-person TBA & Online via Zoom

Register here: events.humanitix.com/arza-syd
Gold coin donation (ARZA members) | $10 (non-members)

Shabat Shalom

Ayal Marek
President
ARZA Australia