The head of the Jewish Council of Australia has been “overwhelmed” with support after giving evidence about attacks on her by neo-Nazis and the pro-Israel lobby.
Sarah Schwartz said the antisemitism royal commission was “clearly interested” in the experiences of Jewish people who are critical of Israel, “particularly experiences of targeting and silencing”.
“My evidence seems to have struck a chord,” Schwartz wrote to supporters this morning.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the response.”
Last week Schwartz, a prominent human rights lawyer, gave evidence to the antisemitism royal commission that attacks on her had left her fearing for her safety.
Media giant News Corporation’s “targeting of me” had meant it was no longer safe for her to report threats against her to police, Schwartz said.
Today she again called out sections of the media — including the Australian Jewish News, which published, then deleted, an article denouncing the attacks on her.
“Every serious masthead took my evidence with the weight the Commission did,” Schwartz writes.
“Even the Australian Jewish News reported factually and published an op-ed decrying some of the abuse I’ve experienced.
“Unsurprisingly, that op-ed was later taken down, underscoring just how sclerotic legacy Jewish institutions have become in their efforts to silence dissent”.
“Underscoring just how sclerotic legacy Jewish institutions have become in their efforts to silence dissent” – Sarah Schultz
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The article titled “Every Jew, regardless of politics, remains part of our people” has been deleted. Source: Australian Jewish News
The article, by Nomi Kaltmann, was titled “Every Jew, regardless of politics, remains part of our people”.
The Klaxon has approached Australian Jewish News for comment.
“The Murdoch Press published a strangely sympathetic story: “Jewish advocate targeted with disturbing online content”, in which they conveniently failed to mention that they had promoted that content,” Schwartz writes.
“One has to laugh at their gall.”
“One has to laugh at their gall” – Sarah Schultz
Sarah Schwartz (right) leaves the Royal Commission hearings last week. Picture: Bianca De Marchi/AAP
Schwartz said the royal commission “gave me space to explain the personal costs of publicly criticising Israel” and “the racist targeting I have experienced from both far-right and pro-Israel actors in response.”
“As I said in my testimony, this is just one small part of a broader silencing effort against those supporting Palestinians, in the supposed name of fighting antisemitism.”
“Just one small part of a broader silencing effort against those supporting Palestinians” – Sarah Schultz
The Australian Jewish News article has been deleted. Source: Australian Jewish News
Schwartz said she had underestimated the number of people with similar experiences.
“I didn’t fully appreciate just how many people would relate to the experience of feeling silenced and unable to speak up on Palestine,” she writes.
“I’ve received supportive messages from people who have told me that they will have to delete them later for their own safety.
“I’ve received messages from others who have said that because the Council exists, they feel finally able to speak up.These messages mean more to me than I can say.”
The Jewish Council of Australia, which has around 2.500 members, was created in 2024 to provide members of the Jewish community “a home outside of Israel”.
Schwartz told the Royal Commission that within days of its creation, she began “being personally targeted” in a “really coordinated campaign”.
Sarah Schwartz gave explosive evidence to the Royal Commission last week. Source: The Klaxon
She was attacked as “self-hating”, a “traitor”, and memes were circulated containing images of her as a rat.
“There’s often Nazi references, images of me with a yellow star of the type that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany,” Schwartz told the royal commission.
The Jewish Independent reports Australian Jewish News published Kaltmann’s opinion piece on Friday last week, and that it was removed on Monday.
The article can still be read on Kaltman’s personal website.
Kaltmann writes that she disagrees with Schwartz’s views regarding Israel-Palestine conflict, but that she was ashamed of how Schwartz had been treated.
“I found listening to Sarah’s testimony extremely upsetting,” writes Kaltmann, in the article removed by AJN.
“But once you devolve into personal, and frankly unhinged, attacks by calling another Jew a kapo, you’ve stopped making an argument.
“You’ve started trying to humiliate another human being. What the hell are we as a community doing?”
“What the hell are we as a community doing?” – Nomi Kaltmann
The Klaxon has asked Australian Jewish News why Kaltmann’s article had been removed, and whether it considered the attacks on Schwartz to be inappropriate.
The publication is “local partner” of the Times of Israel.
Schwartz said he had felt nervous before giving evidence last week “because I wanted to do every single one of the Council’s supporters proud”.
“I hope I have,” she writes.
“We’ll be following the Commission closely in the coming days as they hear evidence from major cultural institutions that have become battlegrounds for debate around antisemitism,” writes Schultz.
“This week, Jillian Segal is due to give evidence, as will the ABC and SBS.”
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Thank you,
Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
