Dear Mayor and Councillors,

I am writing to urge you not to participate in the upcoming Local Government Summit Against Antisemitism and for Social Cohesion, taking place in Bondi on 26–27 November 2026.

The summit is organised by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), a wealthy US-based, pro-Israel lobbying organisation, and co-hosted by Waverley Council.

Despite its reassuring name, this summit is not simply about combating antisemitism. It is part of a coordinated international campaign to persuade governments and public institutions to adopt a controversial definition of antisemitism that can be used to suppress criticism of Israel.

What are councillors being asked to support?

CAM is offering Australian mayors and councillors all-expenses-paid trips to Bondi, where participating councils will be encouraged to endorse the Sydney Declaration to Stamp Out Community Division and Hate.

The declaration contains ten commitments, including adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, introducing education initiatives, strengthening incident reporting systems and expanding community security arrangements.

CAM's own website states that registered councils become signatories to the declaration at the summit's conclusion.

This is not merely an educational conference. It is an organised effort to turn the political objectives of an international lobbying organisation into local government policy.

Why is the IHRA definition controversial?

The IHRA definition has been criticised by legal scholars, civil liberties organisations, academics and even its lead drafter, Kenneth Stern, who has warned against using it to police political speech.

One of its most controversial examples identifies describing Israel's existence as a "racist endeavour" as a possible example of antisemitism.

This can be used to accuse people of antisemitism for questioning a political system that gives Jewish Israelis greater national rights than Palestinians, or for condemning Israel's history of Palestinian displacement, dispossession, discrimination and massacres.

In this way, criticism of a state and its actions can be recast as hatred of Jewish people.

Recently, NSW Supreme Court Justice Fagan criticised attempts to expand the meaning of antisemitism to encompass criticism of Israel. Referring to polling showing that 79% of Australians held an unfavourable view of Israel, he observed that it would be "preposterous" to suggest they were all antisemitic because they disapproved of Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

Opposing antisemitism is important. But opposing antisemitism does not require Australians to support Israel, excuse its actions or remain silent about its treatment of Palestinians.

Why does this matter to local councils?

Councils have considerable influence over what happens in their communities.

They control public libraries, community venues, cultural events, local grants, public exhibitions and the policies governing access to these services.

Across Australia, we have already seen councils cancel events, withdraw funding and restrict public expression in response to accusations of antisemitism connected to advocacy for Palestinian rights.

Not every incident has involved the IHRA definition, but they demonstrate how easily accusations of antisemitism can be used to restrict political expression through local government decisions.

Waverley Council has already developed a Model Antisemitism Strategy for other Australian councils to adopt. It incorporates the IHRA definition into council policy, staff training, incident reporting and relationships with community security organisations.

CAM is now using its Bondi summit to promote this approach to councils across Australia.

Who is behind this campaign?

CAM was founded by American oil magnate and major Republican donor Adam E. Beren. It is a well-funded international organisation with close political and organisational connections to Israel.

Its CEO, Sacha Roytman, previously commanded the Israeli military's New Media unit before overseeing international pro-Israel messaging and digital campaigns for the World Jewish Congress.

CAM has also attracted controversy for its associations with political figures who have made openly racist and inflammatory statements about Palestinians and Muslims.

At its 2025 Gold Coast summit, material distributed to delegates identified Palestinian cultural symbols, including the keffiyeh and watermelon, as symbols associated with antisemitism.

These are not the actions of an organisation simply seeking to protect Australians from racial or religious hatred.

They are part of a wider political campaign to influence how governments understand, classify and respond to criticism of Israel.

Whose interests are our councils serving?

Australia's local councils exist to represent their communities, not to advance the political agendas of wealthy foreign lobbying organisations.

CAM has the resources to offer councillors lavish hospitality and promote its preferred policies across the country. What it needs from Australian councils is something money alone cannot buy: the credibility and legitimacy of our public institutions.

By participating in this summit and endorsing its declaration, councillors would help give that legitimacy to an organisation actively campaigning to restrict how criticism of Israel is treated in public life.

At a time when Israel's genocide in Gaza has prompted widespread public condemnation, Australians must remain free to speak out against occupation, dispossession, apartheid and crimes against humanity without being falsely accused of hatred towards Jewish people.

I urge you to decline CAM's invitation, refuse to endorse the Sydney Declaration and reject any attempt to introduce the IHRA definition into council policies governing political expression, public facilities, funding or community participation.

Our councils should be protecting the democratic rights of the people they represent, not helping an international lobbying organisation decide which political views Australians are permitted to express.

Thank you for considering these concerns.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

Further reading: combattingdisingenuousclaimsofantisemitism.org/further-reading