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With antisemitism increasing in Australian schools, an Indigenous-led organisation has developed an age-appropriate curriculum to help protect Jewish students and build cohesion among young Australians.

Australia has always prided itself on its multicultural success and social cohesion — on how we’ve absorbed migrants from many countries. However, since October 7, Australia has let the antisemitism genie out of the bottle and either can’t or won’t put it back in.

We are the cofounders of Indigenous Friends of Israel International, and we’re not standing by in silence. We’ve developed a program for Australian primary schools because, as Jewish leaders and even Education Minister Jason Clare are now saying, antisemitism education in schools doesn’t exist — and it should.

We launched our Schools Antisemitism Education Project in Cairns on Monday night. It couldn’t have been more timely. A Jewish family attended with their children, and one of their sons told us he had been hit on the head in a NSW school for being a Jew. This is a problem all over Australia — even in Cairns schools, where we live.

We had three speakers at the launch: Dr David Hudson, Rabbi Ari Rubin, and Barbara.

Dr David Hudson is a famous Aboriginal educator, singer, and artist. He played the didjeridoo at the Beersheba Centenary in Israel in 2017. Rabbi Ari Rubin, from Chabad Rural and Remote Australia, is based in Cairns and has studied in London, New York, and Israel. Both gave heartfelt messages.

I (Barbara) also spoke, drawing from my work as a sociologist, historian and author of 12 books — including three on William Cooper.

I (Norman) was the MC and sang October Rain, the haunting song that Israeli singer Eden Golan performed at Eurovision in 2024. It commemorates October 7.

We urge education authorities to use our modules. They align with the national curriculum v9 and can be used for HASS, Humanities and Social Studies, English, Art and Health.

It is a 10-week or term-long program or teacher resource for Grades 1 and 2 and Grades 5 and 6. These are finalised, and the modules for Grades 3 and 4 are still in development. We are ready to go.

It is sensitive and age-appropriate and uses an inquiry method developed by Kate Murdoch — because the last thing we want is indoctrination. It teaches children to evaluate, and to have empathy and compassion.

Antisemitism on Australian Streets

It is understandable that Jewish people are now saying Kristallnacht has come to Melbourne, after the appalling storming, shattered glass and violence that occurred at the Israeli restaurant Miznon in Melbourne Friday night — and the torching of the East Melbourne Synagogue, where 20 people had to escape through the rear, frightened for their lives. We strongly condemn this.

Kristallnacht was the Night of Broken Glass in Europe, when Jewish synagogues, homes and businesses were torched or had their windows broken. At least 91 Jews were killed and 30,000 sent to concentration camps.

William Cooper — an Aboriginal Christian — organised the Australian Aborigines’ League to march to the German Consulate in Melbourne with a protest letter. What are we doing today? What would William Cooper do today?

I (Barbara) helped organise events at East Melbourne Synagogue and the Israeli Embassy in Canberra on 6 December last year to honour William Cooper and the League’s protest. Norman and I both attended the Canberra event.

The Melbourne event was significant because Jews, Christians, Indigenous people — including descendants of William Cooper — participated, and a document was handed to the Victorian Government on the steps of Parliament House. That document had recommendations to deal with antisemitism and was written by me (Barbara) in consultation with the organising team.

The Israel Embassy event was also significant because a plaque to honour William Cooper was erected near the adjoining fence to the German Embassy. The German Embassy participated in the event and supports steps to reduce antisemitism. William Cooper’s descendants attended.

I (Barbara) also spoke at the East Melbourne Synagogue — also known as the Hebrew Congregation — in 2012 on 6 December, when we reenacted William Cooper and the League’s protest walk to the German Consulate of 1938, and launched my book William Cooper: Gentle Warrior.

Incredibly, on the same date — 6 December — while we had these events in Melbourne and Canberra last year, the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne was torched and gutted.

Antisemitism Education Starts in Schools

This is why we, at Indigenous Friends of Israel International (IFII), have developed our education program for primary schools. Our goal is to protect Jewish children from antisemitism and help all Australian children develop healthy intercultural relations.

We’ve been working on it for nine months now, with curriculum writer Shoshana Linnane and advice from Jewish educators Eli and Jill Rabinowitz of the WE ARE HERE! Foundation.

As The Australian Jewish News reported on 4 July 2025: “A NSW parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism has been told about Jewish schoolchildren being afraid to wear their uniforms in public, Jews being excluded, stigmatised and gaslighted, and called ‘cockroaches’.”

Jewish children have also been threatened with gas chambers and told they should all have been killed by Hitler. So it’s well past time for all of us to stand up as responsible citizens and return our nation to a place that protects and values all its citizens.

Antisemitism education is one important method. We are now looking to education authorities, schools and Jewish organisations to use what we already have on offer.