Leeser calls for rethink of antisemitism education at UNESCO schools forum

Shadow Education Minister Julian Leeser has called for a fundamental shift in how antisemitism is taught in Australian schools, warning that decades of Holocaust-focused education have failed to prevent rising hostility towards Jews.

Speaking today at a national dialogue for the UNESCO National Approach to Addressing Antisemitism in Schools initiative, Leeser told educators and policymakers that antisemitism had become “ingrained and normalised” in parts of the education system.

Drawing on the findings of Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal, Leeser said the problem had been building well before recent attacks. He quoted the report’s warning that “antisemitism is evident within schools and universities and has become ingrained and normalised within academia” and that “education is essential to preventing and tackling antisemitism”.

He said those findings predated the 14 December 2025 Bondi terrorist attack, in which 15 people were killed after being targeted as Jews, and pointed to a series of subsequent incidents, including the firebombing of a Melbourne rabbi’s car, the assault of Jewish teenagers in St Kilda and the ram raid of a Brisbane synagogue.

“Antisemitism in this country did not start with October 7, and it did not end at Bondi,” Leeser said.

Leeser also spoke in a personal capacity, describing his concerns “as a Jewish parent and an Australian”.

He argued that the current crisis reflected deeper, long-standing issues, including failures within universities to confront antisemitism. Referring to a 2023 survey of Jewish students, Leeser noted that “almost two-thirds of Jewish students… were experiencing antisemitism on campus,” and more than half concealed their identity.

Leeser pointed to long-running efforts to address antisemitism on campus, including a 2022 cross-party initiative with Labor MP Josh Burns and independent MP Allegra Spender to establish the Parliamentary Friends of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

He said the group had written to every university in Australia urging adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, but “far too few adopted it. Some explicitly refused.” 

“The IHRA definition is important, because if you can’t agree what antisemitism is, how can you hope to fight it?” he said, noting it had since been adopted by the Commonwealth, supported across party lines and used by the Royal Commission. 

“If it is good enough for state and federal governments of all stripes and the Royal Commission, it is good enough for our education system,” Leeser added, stressing that “criticism of Israel is not antisemitism under the definition”.

Leeser also pointed to institutional failures, including universities that had resisted adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, despite its endorsement by governments and the Royal Commission.

The Albanese government established the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in January 2026 following the Bondi attack and appointed David Gonski to lead the Antisemitism Education Task Force. Leeser said both processes presented “a real opportunity” to reshape how antisemitism is addressed in schools.

Drawing on the work of former chief rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Leeser described antisemitism as a phenomenon that changes form over time, from religious hatred to racial ideology and now hostility towards the Jewish state.

“Antisemitism… takes different forms in different ages… but it remains the same thing: the view that Jews have no right to exist as free and equal human beings,” he said.

He warned that modern expressions must be clearly addressed in education, including denial of Jewish self-determination, the use of Nazi imagery in relation to Israel, and claims of dual loyalty.

While acknowledging the role of Holocaust education, Leeser said it had clear limitations. “If what we are seeing now is a guide, it has not achieved the desired effect,” he said.

He outlined four key drawbacks, including the failure of Holocaust education to prevent denial, its distorting effect on how antisemitism is understood and its tendency to present Jews only as victims.

“Focusing solely on Holocaust education means most students will learn nothing more about Jews than that they suffered,” he said.

Instead, Leeser proposed reframing education to begin with Jewish civilisation, beliefs and contributions before addressing antisemitism.

“It needs to start with Jews and Judaism before it considers… antisemitism and how antisemitism changes over time,” he said.

He endorsed the work of American author Dara Horn (People Love Dead Jews) and the Tell Institute, whose curriculum focuses on teaching who Jews are and the ideas that have shaped Jewish life and broader society.

“What we need is education about who the Jewish people are, what they believe, and what their contribution is to Western thought,” Leeser said.

He pointed to concepts such as human dignity, equality and the rule of law as examples of ideas rooted in Jewish thought, warning that failing to teach them leaves students vulnerable to misinformation.

“Avoiding or erasing those topics… outsources teaching about Jewish people… to social media,” he said.

Leeser urged the Gonski task force and the Royal Commission to adopt this approach, framing it as essential to equipping Australians with a basic understanding of Jewish identity.

He concluded with a warning that failure to act would have serious consequences.

“If you fail at your task, it will have devastating consequences for the Jewish community and for our country,” he said.

The UNESCO-led initiative is already trialling teacher training programs in New South Wales and Victoria. With both the Royal Commission and the education task force now underway, Leeser’s intervention signals a push to shift Australia’s response from reaction to prevention.