‘Silence is Not Neutrality’: Australian Rabbis Demand Royal Commission, Ban on Hateful Marches

The Rabbinical Association of Australasia (RAA) has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to establish a Federal Royal Commission into antisemitism, warning in a Thursday letter that the recent Bondi Beach massacre was the “tragic and violent manifestation” of a climate where hatred has been allowed to fester.

In the strongly worded letter, the RAA, representing rabbis from across the spectrum of Jewish life in Australia, described a community in crisis. The leaders stated that while they hold differing political views, they are united by a “shared responsibility for the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing of our communities.”

The letter comes in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre, an event the rabbis say “did not emerge in a vacuum.” They argue it was the culmination of two years of escalating hostility, describing a “profound and dangerous escalation of antisemitism masquerading as anti-Zionism in Australia.”

The letter issues a demand to current law enforcement and government approaches regarding public protests. The rabbis condemned what they termed “hate-fuelled marches” in major cities, asserting that these demonstrations have two core objectives: the destruction of Israel and the “globalisation of the intifada,” which they describe as a “euphemism for violence against, and ultimately the extermination of, world Jewry.”

Expressing frustration with policing tactics, the RAA noted that Jewish citizens have frequently been told by police to stay away from public spaces “for your own protection.”

“We are demanding nothing less than the banning of such marches and demonstrations,” the letter states. Furthermore, the association called for the specific criminalisation of chants such as “death to the IDF,” “globalise the intifada,” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The rabbis requested the establishment of a Federal Royal Commission. The rabbis argue that internal government reviews are insufficient to restore trust or address the root causes of the violence.

“Trust has been badly shaken. Restoring it requires openness,” the letter reads.

The RAA suggests that antisemitism now “spreads like a cancer” through networks that cross state borders, including online platforms and radical Islamist ideologies, areas they say fall under Commonwealth responsibility. They proposed that a Royal Commission would examine how “antisemitic hatred is being normalised,” the role of universities and social media, and gaps in counter-extremism frameworks.

The rabbis painted a stark picture of the daily life of Australian Jews, emphasizing that their concerns are not abstract.

“We have sat with grieving families. We have visited the injured. We have stood with children who no longer feel safe walking to school,” they wrote. “We have watched members of our communities withdraw from public spaces, universities, and civic life out of fear.”

Citing Vayikra 19:16, “not to stand passively when the blood of your neighbour is shed,” the rabbis stressed that the government is morally responsible to act.

“To be silent at this time is to abdicate responsibility,” the letter concludes. “This is about restoring and safeguarding Australia’s moral compass… It is also about ensuring that no segment of Australian society is forced to endure what we are enduring now.”

The letter was signed by the RAA executive, including President Rabbi Nochum Schapiro and Vice President Rabbi Nir Gurevitch, alongside other senior rabbis. The Prime Minister’s office has not yet issued a formal response to the request.