In news that will surprise exactly no one who has been paying attention, the antisemitism royal commission's fourth day of public hearings revealed that Jewish Australians are having a thoroughly miserable time of it. They've been advised to adopt "less obviously Jewish" names, pressured to resign, and verbally abused by colleagues in the wake of 7 October 2023. Because nothing says 'professional workplace' like telling someone to hide their identity.

Australia's antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, delivered the day's most eyebrow-raising assessment: hatred towards Jews has become "almost fashionable." That's right, folks - bigotry is now a lifestyle choice. "If someone that they follow online, an influencer, is of that view, they adopt that view," Segal explained, presumably while resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

A Sydney nurse, going by the pseudonym AAV, painted a grim picture of New South Wales Health. She recounted being called "Zionist scum" by fellow nurses and declared the system "not safe for Jewish people." After her cousin was taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023, she put up hostage posters and wore a yellow ribbon - only to be told by her manager to remove them because they might "upset or offend other people." Because apparently, remembering hostages is offensive now.

In a particularly absurd twist, her hospital's media team rejected her request to post a "happy Hanukah" message in December 2025, despite having posted similar messages for Diwali and Christmas. You can't make this stuff up - well, you can, but it would be too on-the-nose. AAV also shared her terror when undergoing knee surgery in February 2025, after nurses "boasted that they had killed Israeli citizens." She spent 24 hours "paralysed with fear," imagining all the ways she could be killed in a hospital. Two nurses from Bankstown hospital are facing trial in 2026 over those comments.

Sarah, a clinical psychologist who didn't share her surname, told the commission that Jewish Australians are flooding her practice with stories of harassment. Children are asking "why do they hate us?" while academics are being pushed out of professional spaces. Sarah and colleagues left a Facebook group of about 2,500 clinical psychologists after being accused of taking "the side of the oppressor" for requesting that Israel not be discussed. Because nothing says 'safe space' like accusing your colleagues of treason for wanting to avoid a political flame war.

Segal noted that young Australians are particularly hostile, and that conflating the Israeli government with Jewish people is the "fastest-growing" form of antisemitism. She also admitted that leading figures had been hesitant to speak out, but that changed after the Bondi terror attack. "I've been contacted by many leaders since then, wanting to be more engaged," she said, adding that there's been a realisation that the Jewish community's complaints "wasn't a collection of isolated incidents, it wasn't an exaggeration, it was very real and very dangerous for the country."

The hearings also heard from an employee (pseudonym ABM) who left an Australian-owned global company after her CEO told her to use a "less obviously Jewish" name. She was advised to change her email signature and internal directories because an overseas stakeholder didn't want to work with the Israeli division. She agreed, feeling she had no choice, but resigned months later. "I felt a sense of shame that I hadn't felt before," she said. "It really made me question whether or not I can be outwardly and openly Jewish in professional workplaces."

Stephanie Cunio, a longtime Sydney trade unionist and climate activist, said she felt pressured to step down from the board of a green advocacy group as younger members fought to campaign against Israel. A board member told her, "maybe you should consider leaving." Because nothing says 'environmental activism' like purging your board for political disagreements.

An Israeli musician (pseudonym ABK) said he's taken a break from performing, affecting his income, after facing protesters and campaigns to cancel his shows. He now calls venues upfront to warn them they might get hate because he's Israeli, and he's constantly thinking, "Is there someone in the crowd that knows that I'm Israeli and is here with a gun?"

And finally, Judith Lewis of Lewis' Continental Kitchen told the commission about the alleged targeted attack that burned down their kosher restaurant in Bondi in 2024. She lost the restaurant she and her family had run for 54 years. "A lot of people came and met there... it was a communal centre," she said. So much for a nice pastrami sandwich.