Teen punched three times at scout camp in antisemitic attack, police say
A Jewish teenager was allegedly punched three times in the face at a major Victorian scout camp after being singled out for wearing a kippah and an Israeli flag over his shoulders, as community leaders warned of a worsening climate of hostility towards Jewish Australians.
Joshua Levy, 18, was buying a milkshake at Lardner Park near Warragul on Saturday when another scout reportedly approached him, demanded to know why he was displaying the Israeli flag and accused Israel of murdering children. Levy walked away, but said the same youth tapped him on the shoulder hours later at a crowded dance event and, when he turned around, punched him three times in the nose and left cheek. He was treated by camp medics for bruising.
Jewish scout Joshua Levy (Instagram)
“I’ve always heard about antisemitic attacks but never thought it would happen to me,” Levy told 7News Melbourne. He said he felt scared and sad that he could not freely express his culture and religion and was unsure whether it would be safe to return to Scouts.
More than 1,500 scouts and volunteers had gathered at the park for the state event run by Scouts Victoria.
Victoria Police confirmed the matter was reported the following day. A 17-year-old boy was interviewed and is expected to be summonsed to a children’s court. Police said incidents motivated by hatred can leave communities feeling threatened and vulnerable.
Scouts Victoria executive manager Jon McGregor said the youth responsible was removed from the camp and had since apologised in writing. “The safety and wellbeing of all young people in our care is our highest priority,” he said. “Scouts Victoria is an inclusive organisation that does not tolerate discrimination, harassment or violence.”
Scouts at a camp
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich condemned the attack in stark terms. “This is not 1930s Germany. This is Australia in 2026,” he said. “We are watching something dark and rotten in this country become worse every day.”
Abramovich warned the assault could have had far graver consequences. “This could have ended in brain trauma, in a hospital corridor, in a family standing over a coffin. Instead, it ended with an 18-year-old Jewish boy staring at a mirror and realising his identity made him a target.”
He drew a direct line to the December terror attack at Bondi. “Bondi was supposed to be a wake-up call. And now, months later, a Jewish teenager’s face becomes the landing pad for someone else’s hateful rage. This was not a burst of teenage temper. This was a message delivered in knuckles: hide who you are, Jew, or pay the price.”
The alleged assault comes amid heightened concern about antisemitism across Australia, with Jewish community groups reporting increased incidents of harassment and intimidation since the October 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. The federal government launched a royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion in January, with a final report due by the end of 2026.
Police have appealed for witnesses or anyone with footage of the event to come forward.
As a current Scout Leader I know that Scouts Australia is an inclusive movement and there is no excuse for violence or racism including antisemitism at a scout event. Scouts Australia was very quick to directly contact and offer support to our Judean scout group after the Bondi massacre.
As an inclusive movement, Scouts Australia includes Coptic, Buddhist, Muslim, Greek as well as Jewish and other minority groups. Youth and adult members of Scouts make a promise of good citizenship to Australia. International politics has no place in scouting. We wouldn’t appreciate seeing an Australian scout draped in a Palestine flag. Attack for wearing a kippah is definitely antisemitism. Draping in an Israel flag at a Scouts Australia event where we come together in peace, left handed ‘friendship’ handshake and all, is needlessly provocative and disrespectful to scouts from a background other than our own. Scouting families in many parts of the world are hurting because war has directly affected them, just as October 7 and Bondi have affected us. There must be times when, as Jews, we come together with others in a spirit of fraternity and egality without bringing in international politics.