Prominent federal Jewish MP tells The Epoch Times he would also look closer at foreign funding of education institutions.
Member for Berowra Julian Leeser has called on the Albanese government to pay closer attention to its special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal.
It was the urging of Segal that led Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to convene a meeting of the national cabinet to respond to a series of anti-Semitic attacks in January.
Those attacks included an attempted arson on a childcare centre in Maroubra in Sydney, where anti-Jewish graffiti was also sprayed, and the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.
“I really wish the government would’ve spent more time listening to Jillian Sebel, the special envoy on anti-Semitism who they appointed,” Leeser told The Epoch Times as part of the Australian Jewish Association’s (AJA) Coalition Policies Impacting the Jewish Community and Israel discussion.
“One of her most important contributions, I think, has been in response to my Bill for a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on campuses raising this exact issue.
“And this has really got to be an issue that is the subject of the judicial inquiry, because it’s the only way to look at these matters properly.”
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On March 17, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pledged a Coalition government would provide $35 million to support the reconstruction of the Adass Israel Synagogue—the Labor government just announced it would provide $30 million a day later.
Potential Foreign Funding Inflames Anti-Semitism
In April last year, amid concerns of foreign funding that could foment anti-Semitic sentiment on campus, Fox Business revealed that $5 billion of American taxpayers’ dollars were given to Ivy League schools through sponsorship, grants and contracts during fiscal year 2023 alone.
Another $2.1 billion made its way to other prominent schools that have had anti-Israel rallies of late.
The Network Contagion Research Institute also found that 349 colleges and universities received a combined total of almost $18 billion from foreign sources between 2014 and 2019.
According to a Mosaic report on Feb. 25, 2020, autocratic Middle Eastern regimes, organisations and affiliated private corporations, mostly from Qatar, have funnelled billions of dollars of unreported funding to American universities to demonise Israel on campus.
“Our research has found a correlation between the funding of universities by Qatar and the Gulf states and the presence of groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine [SJP] and a [campus] environment that fosters an anti-Semitic atmosphere, aggressive [towards Jews and supporters of Israel],” the report said.
Leeser said if the Coalition was elected federally, his Private Members Bill to establish an inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses would be able to look closer at issues of foreign funding towards Australian universities and colleges.
He noted that a previous committee he served on looked at similar issues, although not specifically on questions around anti-Israel or anti-Western financing.
“It looked at issues of foreign financing in a more broad context, and in particular, a national security context,” he said.
“And I think these matters would be proper matters that the judicial inquiry could examine.”
Lesser added an inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses was important because not only would it have stronger powers, it would encourage Israeli students to be contributing members of society without receiving any prejudice over their national origins.
“What we’ve seen across our university sector—it’s not limited to one particular campus, but there are some worse than others—is this terrible anti-Semitism directed both at staff and at students,” he said.
“You’ve had anti-Semitic theories and ideas taught in our classrooms.
“You’ve had students who wanted to have a Shabbat dinner finding that Palestinian flags are shoved under their door the next day.
Stronger Action Still Needed on Campuses
Before the Albanese government launched a federal-level response against the growing anti-Semitism in Australia, Australian Jewish Association (AJA) President David Adler remarked on the lack of action.
“The current federal government with Anthony Albanese and [Foreign Minister] Penny Wong have been, in our view, the most hostile to Israel and the Jewish community for decades,” he told The Epoch Times in May 2024.
“Take the encampments which we’re seeing at the universities now. If you decided to pitch a tent with some mates and set up where camping was not approved, you’d be tossed out.”
