At protests surrounding Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s recent visit to Australia, a disturbing trend emerged: anger directed not solely at Israeli policies, but at “Zionists” themselves. Demonstrators accused them of undue influence in media and government, and at some rallies, Zionism was equated with Nazism and terrorism. This shift in rhetoric, experts say, reflects a dangerous normalization of antisemitism cloaked in political critique.
The repurposing of “Zionist” as a pejorative isn’t new, but its escalation in recent months, particularly following the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack that left 15 people dead, has raised alarm. The attack, described as antisemitic by authorities, prompted President Herzog’s visit to express solidarity with the Australian Jewish community. Yet, his presence also ignited protests where the term “Zionist” was weaponized, becoming a stand-in for broader accusations of wrongdoing and even hatred.
The insidious nature of this linguistic shift echoes warnings from the past. Victor Klemperer, a Jewish academic who survived Nazi Germany, observed how language can act as a unhurried-acting poison, normalizing contempt through seemingly innocuous terms. “Zionist,” once a descriptor of a political movement supporting Jewish self-determination, is increasingly entering this dangerous territory, used not to define a belief, but to impugn an individual.
The experience of Danny Berkovic, a Sydney businessman involved in the campaign for a federal royal commission into antisemitism, illustrates this phenomenon. After publicly advocating for the commission in the wake of the Bondi attack, Berkovic received a message questioning whether he had been paid by Israel for his advocacy. When he rejected the accusation, the correspondent responded with a statement asserting that “Zionists have always been morally bankrupt with a superiority complex.” Berkovic recounts that the exchange was unsettling not for its aggression, but for its ordinariness – a calm, certain assertion that revealed a deeply ingrained prejudice.
