Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Australia

Australia: a Jewish community of about 117,000 and its representative bodies, the Zionist Federation of Australia, diplomatic relations since 1949, defence and cyber cooperation, the 2024 killing of Zomi Frankcom, the 2025 recognition of Palestine, the expulsion of Iran's ambassador, the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack, and Australian links in Ehud Barak's emails and the Epstein files

Australia has about 117,000 Jews, the eighth-largest Jewish community in the world, according to the World Jewish Congress (WJC). It recognised "Israel" on 28 January 1949, and in September 2025 it recognised the State of Palestine. In August 2025 it expelled Iran's ambassador after the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) linked Iran to arson attacks on Jewish targets, and on 14 December 2025 two gunmen killed 15 people at a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Jewish community and religious life

History and demography

According to the WJC, at least eight Jews, and possibly as many as 15, arrived as convicts with the First Fleet in 1788, and more than a thousand people of Jewish descent were transported as convicts over the next 60 years. Free settlers and the gold rush of the 1850s followed; there were about 3,000 Jews by 1861 and over 15,000 by 1901. About 7,000 Jewish refugees, mainly from Germany and Austria, were admitted in the late 1930s and from the Dunera in 1940, and Holocaust survivors swelled the community from 23,000 in 1938 to 60,000 in 1961. Later immigration came from the former Soviet Union and South Africa. The Institute for Jewish Policy Research puts the core Jewish population at 117,000, with an estimated 155,610 people eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.

Communal organisations

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ). The ECAJ, the WJC's Australian affiliate, is the community's elected representative body, with headquarters in Sydney; the WJC lists its main objectives as combating antisemitism, coordinating the community's physical security and "supporting Israel". Its constituents include the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, the Jewish Community Councils of Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, the ACT Jewish Community and the Hobart Hebrew Congregation.

Schools. The Australian Council of Jewish Schools represents 19 Jewish schools with about 10,000 pupils; the WJC says Australia has the highest rate of Jewish children in Jewish schools outside "Israel".

In July 2024 the former ECAJ president Jillian Segal was appointed special envoy to combat antisemitism. Her plan, launched by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on 10 July 2025, recommended withholding funding from universities, broadcasters and arts bodies that failed to tackle antisemitism, monitoring media coverage, screening visa applicants for antisemitic views and reviewing hate speech laws.

Chabad

Main article: Chabad Lubavitch of Australia

Zionist groups

Main article: Zionist Movement Australia

The Zionist Federation of Australia, an observer organisation of the ECAJ, works to foster Australian Jews' connection to "Israel". According to the WJC, Zionist youth movements including Habonim Dror, Betar and Bnei Akiva are active in Australia, and the Australasian Zionist Youth Council is the umbrella body for seven Zionist youth movements in Australia and New Zealand.

Israeli state and commercial ties

Diplomacy

According to the WJC, Australia was the first country to vote for the 1947 United Nations partition resolution and presided over the 1949 vote admitting "Israel" to the United Nations. The Israeli foreign ministry lists an embassy in Canberra.

On 21 September 2025 Albanese announced that Australia "formally recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine", alongside Canada and the United Kingdom, and that further steps, including diplomatic relations and embassies, would depend on reforms by the Palestinian Authority.

Killing of Zomi Frankcom

On 1 April 2024 the Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues were killed by Israeli drone strikes on their convoy in Gaza. A report for the Australian government by the former defence force chief Mark Binskin found "a significant breakdown in situational awareness" and errors by the Israel Defense Forces, said he did not believe the strikes were "knowingly or deliberately directed against the WCK", and recommended an "appropriate apology" and consideration of compensation.

Military and security ties

According to the WJC, Australia and "Israel" have expanded cooperation on national security, defence and cyber security since 2017; defence officials began annual strategic talks in 2018, Australia appointed a resident defence attaché in Tel Aviv in early 2019, and the two signed a memorandum of understanding on cyber security in January 2019.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) records Israeli deliveries to Australia including air-refuelling systems for Boeing 707 tankers (1991–1992), 18 maritime patrol radars for the AP-3C upgrade (2002–2005), 37 Litening targeting pods for F/A-18 aircraft (2006–2007), RecceLite reconnaissance pods (2009–2010), ten Heron drones leased in 2009 for use in Afghanistan, and Spike-LR2 anti-tank missiles for Boxer vehicles under the Land 400 programme, delivered from 2024.

Iranian attacks

On 26 August 2025 Albanese gave the Iranian ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, and three other officials seven days to leave Australia, after ASIO linked Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the arson attacks on the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney in October 2024 and on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024. The ASIO director-general, Mike Burgess, said the IRGC had used criminals as "cut-outs". Iran rejected the allegations.

Bondi Beach attack

On 14 December 2025 two gunmen, a father and son, opened fire on a Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people. The father was killed by police and the son was wounded. Both were said to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, and the attack was treated as terrorism.

Trade

The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics reports that "Israel" imported goods worth $168.6 million from Australia in 2025 (2024: $172.9 million) and exported goods worth $499.2 million to it (2024: $438.6 million).

Political interference

UN voting

Australia voted in favour of the September 2025 General Assembly resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on a two-state solution.

Ehud Barak's emails

The following items come from the two leaked mailboxes of the former Israeli prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak (ehbarak1@gmail.com and ehud.barak@hyperion-eb.com, 2007–2016). They were hacked and leaked by Handala, a group that Distributed Denial of Secrets describes as "believed to have ties to Iranian intelligence", and were published by Distributed Denial of Secrets in August 2025. The emails carry no cryptographic signatures, and Distributed Denial of Secrets warns that material from such hack-and-leak operations may have been altered.

• In July 2013 the Harry Walker Agency told Barak's wife Nili Priell that Keren Hayesod/United Israel Appeal wished to invite him to speak in Sydney and Melbourne in March 2014, with four events in each city; she forwarded it to him, asking "200K + airfare?".
• On 22 January 2014 Barak wrote to SOCAR's Elshad Nassirov that "Mr. Teshuva", whom he described as the major shareholder of the Leviathan consortium, had to go to Australia "to conclude the deal with Woodside".
• In March 2014 Julia Gillard's assistant invited Barak to an informal dinner for her on 12 April 2014 hosted by Dave Sharma, Australia's ambassador to "Israel", at his residence in Tel Aviv; Barak told his wife, "I think it worth a meeting."
• In June 2014 Barak received a formal invitation to the Australia-Israel-UK Leadership Dialogue in Jerusalem in July 2014.
• In December 2014 Barak and Frank Lowy exchanged emails after a dinner together.

Jeffrey Epstein

Documents released by the US Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein files include the following.

• On 3 May 2011 Epstein told Katherine Keating that Jes Staley, "head ofJPM inv bank", was "flying to melboume this morning and then on to Sydney".
• On 11 August 2013 Epstein wrote to Terje Rød-Larsen: "lets try to schedule mongolia, kaiak, australia".
• On 17 May 2014 Greg Wyler reported to Epstein: "Met with ceo of telstra in australia, serious interest. Wants Australia and some other area countries."
• On 28 August 2018 Lawrence Krauss told Epstein he was considering a "lawsuit in Australia" and asked whether he was "on board"; Epstein replied "Yes".

See also

• Zionist Movement Australia
• Zionist Federation of Australia
• Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to New Zealand