As I have noted in the past, the Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) has come out of nowhere following October 7, pretending to represent Australian Jews, while only representing an extremist fringe of Israel-hating ones.
On their website they claim:
We are proud Jewish people in Australia with diverse histories, traditions and politics. We are committed to the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), calling out injustice, challenging assumptions and promoting debate.
—
Racism and antisemitism are on the rise in Australia. The only way to effectively fight antisemitism is by committing to work in solidarity with other groups facing bigotry and discrimination to fight all forms of racism.
A look at the JCA’s supposed list of supporters reveals only 19 Executive and Advisory members and a further 942 names of “Jewish people in Australia” as of the time of this post.
JCA “Supporters”
There are approximately 100,000 Jews in Australia (people who identified Judaism as their religious affiliation). So the JCA – which claims to speak on behalf of Jewish Australians – might represent approximately 0.9% of them.
I say “might” because it is doubtful all of the named individuals are even Jewish (or real). Many of the names do not seem Jewish and one – Veronica Sherman – is definitely not.
Executive and Advisory members
An examination of some of their prominent members raises some real questions regarding either their pride in their Jewishness, their Jewishness itself, and/or their commitment to fighting antisemitism.
Sarah Schwartz
The JCA’s Executive Officer, Schwartz has herself been exposed dabbling in antisemitic tropes.
You may recall back in January, video surfaced of her at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). As you can see, it was quite the vile display:
A hideous, antisemitic display by Jew-ish Israel-hater and antisemitism apologist @Sarah__Schwartz of @jewishcouncilAU, at a @QUT "anti-racism" symposium no less. cc: @PeterDutton_MP pic.twitter.com/9jF8pL3x4B
— David Lange (@Israellycool) January 23, 2025
Painting Australian Jews as privileged, racist, only caring about antisemitism to the exclusion other forms of racism, and malevolently working with politicians for nefarious purposes? Check
Undermining the very real menace of antisemitism, painting us as irrationally “scared of protesters” and anti-immigrant? Check.
Attacking Christian friends who not only support Israel but actually protest against antisemitism? Check.
Louise Adler
Like Schwartz, JCA Advisory Committee member Louise Adler has a very problematic history of antisemitism, having disseminated antisemitism herself and platformed antisemites.
Antony Loewenstein
JCA Advisory Committee member Loewenstein – like Schwartz and Adler – is also no stranger to dabbling in antisemitism. Back in 2006, this is how he described a fellow Jew, albeit of the proud kind:
My debating opponent, “comedian” Austen Tayshus, preferred the tactics of bullying and arrogance. Tayshus served a useful purpose in exemplifying the ugly bigotry of the mainstream Jewish community. On the other hand, sadly, it reinforced very unfavourable opinions that have been created in the wider community – through the 2003 Hanan Ashrawi affair – of the intolerance of many Jews towards dissenting opinions and Palestinian voices of reason. Jews are often their own worst enemies. It also might help if Tayshus didn’t look so much like those awful caricatures we know from the 1930s!
Not exactly the words of someone proud of their Jewishness or serious about tackling antisemitism.
Aviva Tuffield
A JCA Executive member, there is absolutely nothing to suggest Aviva Tuffield is even Jewish.
The first association of her name with the word “Jewish” is when she was mentioned in connection with the JCA in early 2024. Before that zero, nada, zilch. She certainly never mentioned a Jewish background before this.
An examination of her genealogy reveals her mother Pamela Nora Wrobel (mother’s maiden name: Chapman) married a Tuffield in December 1965 in the Westminster District. The names Chapman and Tuffield are not Jewish, while there are some Jewish Wrobels in the UK, where Aviva Tuffield was born.
In other words, if Aviva Tuffield has Jewish roots, they are only from her mother’s father. So at best, she is barely Jewish and clearly not a “proud Jew” like the JCA website claims; at worst she isn’t Jewish at all.
The evidence paints a clear picture: a self-appointed body with less than 1% of Australian Jewry’s support is led by individuals with highly problematic histories concerning antisemitism and questionable connections to the very community they claim to represent.
The Jewish Council of Australia is not merely an alternative Jewish voice; it is a meticulously constructed echo chamber, created post-October 7th, that seeks to delegitimize the genuine concerns of the vast majority of Australian Jews while giving cover to harmful narratives. Given its minute support and the compromising history of its leaders, why should any credible politician, media outlet, or organization treat the JCA as anything more than a misleading “as-a-Jew” front?
