20% of Australian Jewish women experienced verbal or physical abuse since Oct. 7, poll finds

By Etgar Lefkovits

One in every five Australian Jewish women has been targeted with physical or verbal abuse since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, while a whopping 80 percent say they or their family members have experienced antisemitism, a survey released on Tuesday found. The striking data in a report compiled by the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia (NCJWA) underscore how widespread antisemitism has become in the country where Jews make up just 0.5 percent of the country’s total population of 28 million, many of whom are now considering leaving. Some 20 percent of Jewish women in Australia reported physical violence or verbal abuse against them, while 81% of Jewish women in Australia say either they or an immediate family member has experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7, the survey found. According to the poll, 54% of respondents said they have made significant behavioral or lifestyle changes due to antisemitism, and 69% reported being accused of being “genocidal” because they self-identify as Jewish, Israeli or Zionist.