L’Chaim to Life
A/Prof Efrat Eilam – Calling anyone who is employed at an Australian university
Morry Frenkel speaks with A/Prof Efrat Eilam, a teaching and research academic at Victoria University and co-founder of the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A) group, about its ongoing response to the dramatic rise in antisemitism on university campuses across the country following the October 7th pogrom.
The group’s focus is on (1) advocating for university policy development; (2) promoting on-campus advocacy; (3) combating calls for boycotting Israeli academia; (4) responding to antisemitic publications by academics; (5) examining and providing an alternative option to the existing workers’ unions; and (6) collecting data regarding antisemitism across Australian universities. If any Jewish staff member, student or employee of an Australian university needs, or knows of someone requiring assistance to deal with on-campus antisemitism, or has witnessed an act of antisemitism and wishes to report it, go to the 5A group’s home page at www.aaaaa.org.au. The 5A group is conducting an on-line survey to assess the extent of antisemitism in Australian universities as experienced by Jewish university students, staff and employees, and the extent to which Australian universities are taking active measures to ensure their campuses are free from this scourge.
To access the survey, go to https://vuau.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81gQscILYx4g3Wu.
The 5A group encourages Jewish university students, staff and employees to put in a disciplinary complaint to the university if they are harassed on campus or blocked from accessing any area of the campus to which they are entitled to go. Do not aggressively confront protesters or risk having a complaint made against you, which could have serious ramifications.
