A Jewish leader has described a sense of unease after a wave of attacks left the community shaken to its core.
Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg was among several witnesses who appeared at the royal commission’s public hearing on Monday.
He detailed a “curve” of escalating hostility since October 2023, including a ramming attack on a Brisbane synagogue in February.
Mr Steinberg said the rising number of attacks had dwarfed any statistic on anti-Semitism his organisation had gathered.
“It has created a sense of unease,” he said.
“It’s a curve that starts (with a) very low level of anti-Semitism and then has increased to levels of physical attacks, but also a major attack on our main synagogue where a car rammed the front gates narrowly missing any passers-by or any congregants.
“That shook our community to its core, knowing that we can be targeted in that way.”
He also described another incident at a small Brisbane bookshop where musician Deborah Conway appeared in April 2024.
During the event, he said anti-Israel protesters started banging on the windows, an incident that sent “shockwaves” through a community that included descendants of Holocaust survivors.
Mr Steinberg said it was a harrowing experience for members who attended.
On Monday, the commission heard the community protection obligations for security had doubled since 2023.
Volunteers for the Community Security Group’s Victorian branch said they had provided more than $9 million worth of security at Jewish events in 2025.
The group’s paid and volunteer staff members liaise with the Jewish community and law enforcement to secure schools, religious sites and community events across Australia.
Its budget has tripled since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, to meet a swell in community events and synagogues that needed security presence, the commission heard.
“The pressure has been immense on all of our staff and volunteers,” said the witness, speaking under a pseudonym.
Also speaking under a pseudonym, another witness, whose daughter volunteers with the group, said the role carries extraordinary responsibility.
She recalled meeting a Jewish friend at a community event who left after learning there was no security.
“We’re sitting ducks,” she said.
The royal commission was called after 15 innocent people were killed and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14.
The hearings this week are expected to probe security risk assessments and the relationship between law enforcement agencies and Jewish security groups.
On Tuesday it will hear from board member Benjamin Klein from the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne’s southeast, which was firebombed in 2024.
Chief Rabbi Levi Wolff from Sydney’s Central Synagogue and Victoria Police Superintendent Amanda Bowden are among others listed to speak.
Australian Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national newswire and has been delivering accurate, reliable and fast news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We keep Australia informed.
