The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism today (Thursday) released monitoring findings indicating a dramatic surge in antisemitic discourse on social media in Australia following the deadly attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, which occurred during Hanukkah celebrations and claimed the lives of 16 people.
According to data from the National Cyber Command, on December 14 and 15 - the day of the attack and the day after - there was an unprecedented increase in antisemitic content. Prior to the attack, the daily volume of antisemitic mentions ranged between approximately 2,700 and 3,300 posts. On December 14, the day of the attack, this number skyrocketed to 17,100 mentions - a rise of about 420%. The following day, a peak of over 21,500 mentions was recorded, representing a 600% increase compared to the period before the attack. Even after a slight decline, the level of antisemitic discourse remained five times higher than pre-attack levels.
The data is the result of continuous monitoring, collection, and analysis by the National Cyber Command of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, which operates around the clock to identify trends of incitement, antisemitism, and delegitimization in both online and physical spheres. The antisemitic discourse, as monitored by the Command, includes content containing terms and words almost exclusively associated with antisemitic rhetoric, such as "Yehudon" (a derogatory term for Jew) or phrases denying the Holocaust. This approach enables tracking of antisemitic trends without including neutral mentions of Jews or related topics.
The Ministry stated that it is working in collaboration with the Jewish community in Australia and Israeli government offices to provide in-depth reports, ongoing alerts regarding sources of incitement, and professional support to communities, educational institutions, and students. The surge in antisemitic discourse was accompanied by a wave of incidents, including verbal assaults on Jewish students, property damage, and a heightened sense of threat within the Jewish community.
The Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, stated: "The surge in antisemitic online discourse following the attack underscores the depth of the antisemitism problem in Australia, which its government is not doing enough to eradicate. Online incitement is part of a dangerous web of hatred that intensifies the threat to the Jewish community. Now is the time for resolute and decisive action against every manifestation of antisemitism."