By: Nomi Kaltmann as seen in The Times of Israel

21 May 2026

As Australia’s royal commission into antisemitism nears the end of its two weeks of hearings, Kaltmann describes the emotional evidence given by Jewish Australians and other witnesses and questions whether its findings can shape Australian law, policy and society.

The royal commission, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese established following the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, is Australia’s highest form of public inquiry, with sweeping powers to compel witnesses and documents.

Kaltmann describes how the hearings have become a rare public forum for Australian Jews to describe how antisemitism has reshaped life in the aftermath of the bloody October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel and the subsequent war against the terror group in Gaza.

She remains uncertain whether the commission’s recommendations will, in actuality, stem the surge of antisemitism that Australian Jews have been witnessing of late.

She notes that the commission hearings have helped raise awareness, but says what is needed isn’t a law or a policy change, but a change in societal attitudes, which isn’t under the commission’s control.