A business class at the University of New South Wales apparently offered more than just lectures on supply chains and marketing this year, as a royal commission heard that a Jewish academic was subjected to Nazi salutes by students in 2024. The academic, referred to as ACJ to protect his identity (and perhaps his sanity), told the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion that four students performed the salute during a class for international students. He noted that his grandparents survived the Holocaust, so the gesture felt less like a prank and more like a death threat. The students were initially issued a formal warning, then later suspended after NSW police investigated. Because nothing says 'university experience' like needing a police investigation to get a suspension.

Another witness, a student using the pseudonym Liat, shared her experience at the Australian National University. After the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack, she lost most of her non-Jewish friends, including being told at a university event, "we're not friends any more, you're a Zionist." She also reported being called a "baby killer" and "genocide supporter" by students from ANU's pro-Palestine encampment. The executive director of StandWithUs Australia, Michael Gencher, noted a significant increase in university responsiveness to antisemitism allegations since the Bondi massacre in December, but added that some Jewish students have stopped attending campuses because they feel unsafe. Because nothing says 'safe learning environment' like a cafe where you're called a baby killer.

A postgraduate Jewish and Israeli student at a Melbourne university, using the pseudonym ACL, told the commission she never hid her identity until after October 7. Now she decided not to wear her Magen David on campus, saying, "Every time I went to class, I would quite literally strip myself of my Jewish identity." In one instance, a lecturer described a scholar as a "good Jew" because they "weren't a Zionist." The commission also heard from Yasmine Johnson, a Jewish co-convenor for Students for Palestine, who argued that Zionism is a "racist project" and that free speech shouldn't be limited by hurt feelings. The president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Hugh de Kretser, noted a "surge in racism" since October 7 and said universities will be required to adopt definitions on antisemitism, Islamophobia, and racism from next year. Because apparently, we need a legally enforceable standard to remind people that Nazi salutes are not a valid form of classroom participation.