The West is “sleepwalking” into catastrophe on antisemitism

David Harris, was once described by the late former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres as “the foreign minister of the Jewish people”.

He came to Sydney with a stark warning: the West is failing to confront the forces targeting Israel and Jewish communities abroad.

The former CEO of the American Jewish Committee and now executive vice-chair of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy addressed a function at Sydney’s Central Synagogue last week. The event was co-hosted by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council in partnership with The Joint Australia.

Harris warned that the West was “sleepwalking” into catastrophe by appeasing antisemites and antizionists. While Israel is fighting what Harris described as a seven-front regional war, he said embattled diaspora communities in the West had become the eighth front.

“Israel has achieved some brilliant… achievements…on those seven military fronts,” he said. But on the eighth front, where Jew-haters of all stripes “weaken us, isolate us, fragment us, and ultimately weaken the relationships of our countries with Israel”, Harris said the battle was still far from won.

Harris said Jewish communities needed to focus first on their own children and grandchildren. He recounted stories of Jewish teenagers opting out of their Jewish identity because “the price is too high”, warning that the security measures now required at Jewish schools and synagogues could shape how children saw themselves.

“‘What’s going on? Does someone hate me? Why do they hate me? What have I done? Maybe they have reason to hate me.’ Then you begin a self-loathing process,” he said.

“We have to begin with and focus on the internal strategy of our children and grandchildren, who are the front lines,” Harris said.

Externally, he said diaspora communities had to shift from defence to offence, just as Israel’s strategic outlook changed after October 7. “Wars are never won by defence alone,” Harris said. “So we’re going to spend the rest of our lives saying, ‘No, no, no, you have to understand, Israel is not committing genocide. No, no, no, Israel is not an apartheid state…’ That’s a war we’re never going to win.”

Instead, Harris argued, a key weapon in this battle was lawfare, saying Jewish communities needed to fight fire with fire against attacks directed at Israel and its diaspora advocates. Whereas Jews once believed reasoned arguments would win the day against antisemites and irrational extremists, Harris said that was no longer enough.

“Unfortunately, and I say it with pain, reason no longer is sufficient. So roll up the sleeves, raise the money, find the best lawyers, find the best specialists in technology and communications,” he said.

He described antisemitism as a threat not only to Jews but also to core liberal values. However, Harris said he still believed there was a decent silent majority that rejected antisemitism but needed to be mobilised.

“If we accept the premise that the great majority of people in our countries are the silent majority who are decent people, who reject these notions but need to be mobilised, then yes, I will spend precious time with you, I hope, trying to engage,” he said.

Harris also called for a smarter political strategy by Jewish voters. “Any party that comes knocking on the door wanting our vote, dangle it. Dangle it. But name your price. Don’t give it away. Don’t allow political parties to take the Jewish vote for granted, even as they betray us,” he said.

While Jews had to engage with whichever party was in power, Harris said, “We have no choice organisationally but to continue to fight for a restoration of sanity in both political parties.” He also underlined the importance of following the money from Qatar, which he said supports Hamas and other Islamist terrorist groups, particularly its links to universities in Australia. “That’s not the only explanation, but it’s a starting point,” he said.

Despite the scale of the challenge, Harris ended on a more optimistic note. “Though we’re slow to respond here, when I say here, I mean the West, I believe that we will respond. History tells me that, as God’s partner, we will prevail,” he said.

During his time in Australia as AIJAC’s guest, Harris also spoke at Caulfield Synagogue in Melbourne at an event co-hosted by The Joint Australia, and at the Sydney Institute. He also engaged with media outlets and met with former prime minister John Howard, Jewish leaders and members of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students.