The Jewish Council of Australia, known for its left-leaning, anti-Zionist stance, has acknowledged that its recent advertisement opposing the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Australia contained names that were both offensive and historically controversial.

Described by the Council as mistakes that “slipped through the cracks,” the ad included a derogatory Hebrew term and the names of individuals who were complicit in Nazi concentration camps.

The advertisement, featured in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, presented a list of hundreds of purported Jewish signatories to an open letter expressing that Herzog was “not welcome” in Australia.

Among the listed names were ‘Milkek Tachat,’ a Hebrew profanity translating to ‘a**e licker,’ alongside Josef Heiden, Eliezer Gruenbaum, and Carmen Mory—infamous for their roles as ‘kapos’ who collaborated with the Nazis during the Holocaust.

In contemporary dialogue, the term ‘kapo’ is a severe insult, suggesting a betrayal of Jewish values, often directed at Jews deemed inadequately supportive of Israel.

Upon inquiry by the Daily Mail about how such names were included, the Jewish Council explained that a few false entries had managed to pass through their review processes unintentionally.

In a statement, the organisation – which is a favourite of pro-Palestinian groups who seek to claim they have Jewish support – said its open letter opposing Herzog’s visit had prompted a rapid influx of submissions, making efforts to verify signatories’ authenticity challenging. 

‘In less than two days, our open letter saying no to Herzog’s visit received almost 1,000 Jewish signatures, of which almost 700 were published in the full-page advertisement,’ a spokesperson told the Mail.

JCA said the names were added in error (pictured: JCA Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz) 

The full page ad published by the Jewish Council of Australia featured offensive names 

The Council said it undertook several checks to remove inappropriate or malicious submissions.

‘We went through a number of review processes to delete duplicates, antisemitic and offensive names which were submitted by malicious actors,’ said the spokesperson.

Despite these reviews, the published list still contained entries referencing kapos and other objectionable language. 

The Council acknowledged some were not identified during its review. The four names mentioned in this article have now been deleted from the list of signatories. 

‘Unfortunately a handful of names with offensive and obscure historical references, and names of real Jewish people falsely submitted by others, slipped through the cracks.’ 

The Council stressed, however, that some names that may appear questionable were, in fact, legitimate Jewish signatories. 

‘Some Jewish people were also included in the list who are genuine signatories, but have the same names as others in the Jewish community. That cannot be avoided.

‘The handful of false names are a tiny fraction of the nearly 1,000 Jews who signed the petition in 48 hours,’ it said.

The Council has not confirmed whether it will publish a corrected list or issue further clarification.

The Jewish Council is a relatively new group, founded in early 2024, representing Australian Jews with anti‑Zionist and pro‑Palestinian views, and advocating against antisemitism.

It’s unclear if being Jewish is a requirement for membership of the organisation, and the Mail notes that some of its biggest supporters online do not appear to be Jewish.

Notable figures who have promoted JCA content online include ABC personality Jan Fran, The Australia Institute analyst Amy Remeikis, and newsreader Narelda Jacobs.

The exact number of anti‑Zionist Jews in Australia is unknown, but available surveys show they represent a small, if vocal, minority.

By contrast, the overwhelming majority of Australian Jews strongly identify with Israel and hold broadly Zionist views.