In our 2025 Acton Lecture, Rabbi Dr. Benjamin Elton analyses antisemitism’s persistence from medieval times to the present day.
Drawing on his expertise as both rabbi and historian, Rabbi Elton explores the double standards applied to Jews throughout history and in contemporary discourse. He begins with a personal anecdote about the Tower of London, built partly with funds extorted from medieval Jews, questioning why wrongs against Jews are treated differently from other historical injustices like slavery.
Rabbi Elton documents instances of this double standard: how Lutheran churches continue to honour Martin Luther despite his antisemitism; how culture condemns some artists for offensive views while celebrating antisemites like Roald Dahl; and how Indigenous land acknowledgements are accepted while Jewish connections to Israel are questioned.
Rabbi Elton concludes that addressing antisemitism requires understanding its causes: “The resilience of antisemitism in our society will remain puzzling unless we go to its roots.” He calls for the removal of anti-Jewish foundations in Western culture, emphasising that this requires “the deepest, most thoughtful work.”
Follow the lecture Rabbi Elton sat down with Peter Kurti for a conversation, Q&A session and the event concluded with remarks from Jillian Segal.
Rabbi Benjamin Elton is a Jewish historian and the Chief Minister of The Great Synagogue in Sydney. Before ordination to the rabbinate, he worked for the British Government in the Ministry of Justice and served successive Lord Chancellors. Rabbi Elton has become an important voice in the Australian public conversation about antisemitism and other moral and social issues.
Peter Kurti is director of the Culture, Prosperity & Civil Society program at CIS and is also Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Law and Business at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
Jillian Segal AO is an Australian lawyer and business executive and Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism.