Israelis visit Melbourne campus
Three young Israelis of various faith backgrounds spoke to a group of academics at the University of Melbourne at a meeting hosted by Professors Steven Prawer and Leon Mann from the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A).
The Israel Is speakers with some of the University of Melbourne academics, Dionne Taylor from Israel Is, Prof Leon Mann and Prof Steven Prawer
The visit of the young Israelis of Druze, Christian and Jewish backgrounds spoke about their personal and family experiences since October 7. The event was part of a program of visits to universities and schools around Australia, arranged by Israel Is. The organisation was founded in 2017 to transform how the world sees Israel.
A key feature of the event was an immersive virtual reality experience titled “Survived to Tell’, featuring five witnesses of October 7 speaking about the realities of what happened. The experience includes testimony from freed hostages, a Muslim Bedouin Israeli police officer and diverse survivors of the Nova Music Festival.
The event had to be held in the quiet on campus to avoid being targeted by pro-Palestine activists, which ruined similar events at universities in Sydney.
Antisemitism on campus and in the general community was a major topic of discussion, including the targeting at the University of Melbourne of Prof Prawer, including the invasion of his office and harassment of his staff. The University administration was criticised for its lack of action in 2024. And though the administration banned indoor protests earlier this year, activists have challenged the new rules with action on campus, and Prof Prawer was welcomed to 2025 with prominent graffiti on campus calling for “Death to Israel.” and “Death to Steven Prawer.” Prof Prawer has been particularly targeted as he wears a yarmulke on campus.
Attendees to the well-secured meeting on campus included Jewish and non-Jewish academics from various faculties wanting to stand against antisemitism on campus, often by students and others with their faces covered with keffiyeh.
5A plans to meet with the new Vice Chancellor to explain how Jewish academics and students are experiencing university through the surge in antisemitism.
Prof Mann explained how “Students are doing it tough”, with students sometimes being photographed if they refuse to join protests.
Ideologically driven academics, students and external instigators are making university life difficult, often unsafe and most unwelcoming. The issues vary department by department, and Prof Mann believes that a small minority are driving the antisemitic environment.
Prof Prawer said, “It is ideologically driven. Anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment have become normalized, portraying Israel as a colonial entity. Groupthink is strong amongst the anti-Israel activists.”
