The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) and the Community Security Group Victoria (CSG) have joined forces to publish the first-ever Victorian Antisemitism Report, providing Victorians with a deeper understanding of the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in their state.
The report reveals that incidents of antisemitism, including verbal and written abuse, threats, and graffiti, reached their highest levels in 2020 and 2021, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, the Jewish community in Victoria became a collective target, especially following highly publicised breaches of COVID-19 regulations. The report not only analyses these events but also includes a comprehensive table documenting recent antisemitic incidents across various locations in Victoria, ranging from Richmond to Mount Martha.
Highlighted among the incidents reported are threatening letters sent to a Jewish organisation, Jewish youths at a scout camp being told to “gas themselves”, and graffiti at a St Kilda tram stop accusing Jewish individuals of child abuse. The data for the report is derived from the national antisemitism report compiled annually by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which relies on incidents reported to the State CSGs, State roof bodies and the ECAJ itself. The inaugural edition of the Victorian Antisemitism Report covers incidents from 2019 to early 2023, with future reports to focus on annual data.
