Some expert, many personal: 346 voices have been heard

Over hours, days and months, the anti-Semitism royal commission has delved into testimony, some of it expert and some personal, on what it means to be Jewish in Australia.

Beginning with first-hand accounts of the Bondi terror attack and potential failures by security agencies, the inquiry broadened its scope to more generally examine the scourge that is anti-Semitism and how to combat it.

In total, 346 witnesses were heard over 62 days and more than 20,000 submissions were received.

Among the deluge of evidence, the commission was told anti-Semitic prejudice in Australian schools, universities and workplaces had risen sharply since October 7, 2023, when terror group Hamas led an attack on Israel, killing more than 1200 people..

The resulting Gaza war has killed more than 80,000 Palestinians, according to local estimates.

Online abuse towards Jewish people in Australia has been common and frequently included deeply offensive tropes or targeted threats, the royal commission heard.

Many of Australia's Jews no longer feel comfortable openly practising their religion and have been shocked by the hatred they have experienced in a nation they had always considered safe.

Witnesses reported feeling blamed as Jews for the actions of a foreign government.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the community had been branded baby killers and practitioners of genocide.

"A base form of prejudice has been rebranded into something legitimate, even necessary," he told the inquiry.

"As a consequence of this, our community has suffered immensely and our country has fundamentally changed.

"The commission has all the evidence it needs in terms of what has happened and who has caused it and we now await their report and recommendations."

Dealing with such a controversial issue against the backdrop of ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, the royal commission's work was never going to be easy, nor universally popular.

Its presiding officer, Virginia Bell, dealt with myriad voices heard by the inquiry with the temperament of a beloved school teacher.