Your say: comments from readers
It is refreshing to read Chancellor Jennifer Westacott’s account of the rise of antisemitism in universities in Australia (and around the world), and even more so her commitment to understand it and act against it. Just as affirming Indigenous Australian, Jewish history and culture needs affirming too. Any serious attempt to address the issue should include an honest reckoning with the past 100 years of the conflict and the many efforts made to resolve it.
While antisemitism is almost as old as the Jewish people themselves, its latest iteration is closely linked to the rise of postmodern and anti-colonial ideologies that increasingly challenge the foundations of Western civilisation. When these ideological movements intersect with the ambitions of groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood—whose goal of spreading Islamic law is well-documented and often supported by funding from Qatar—the result is a toxic cocktail that fuels contemporary Jew-hatred.
Education is therefore paramount in confronting this wave. Universities should be leading the response, not contributing to the problem, as they too often are today.
Oded Levy
Commenting on
Chancellor warns universities failed Jewish students after October 7