Jewish artist 'cancelled' after group chat leak, royal commission hears

A Jewish Australian artist has said she was "cancelled", dropped from her residency and lost friends after the leaking of a private message in which she described terrorist group Hamas as "animals".Representatives of Australia's arts and creative industry are fronting the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, which has been considering the use of education and training to combat hate.The inquiry has previously heard evidence about hundreds of creatives whose information and messages were leaked in the doxxing of a private chat group in early 2024.Nina Sanadze was involved in the collection of floral tributes following the Bondi attack. (ABC News: Monish Nand)Melbourne artist Nina Sanadze told the inquiry a private message in which she described terrorist group Hamas as "animals" in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel was released in the leak.Ms Sanadze said she was immediately "dropped" from friendship groups and was told by the art institution she was attached to that it would be "inappropriate" for her to come to the studio.She said she had told her employer before the doxxing event she would leave the studio, due to the increase in antisemitic sentiment in the community post-October 7, 2023."I said 'let me leave'. They were concerned it would look antisemitic … don't leave," she said.Ms Sanadze said she was subsequently "interrogated" about her political beliefs by the art institution after the doxxing event in early 2024."I was told that if I did not leave the studios, there would be more … information released by unknown people, they wouldn't mention who, to discredit and damage my reputation. So I was threatened with that unless I left," she said.Ms Sanadze went on to open the Goldstone Gallery in early 2025, saying there was "no other place for people like [her] to exhibit" their art.The inquiry heard the gallery had hosted public events, poetry readings, live music and discussions between Palestinian and Israeli women.The gallery is currently closed, with Ms Sanadze saying Jewish artists were hesitant to publicly exhibit their work."There's no funding, there's no security, it is very hard," she said."The artists are scared to exhibit, and it's getting worse after [the terror attack in] Bondi."People fear, not only for their safety but for their reputational damage."Ms Sanadze was involved in the collection of three tonnes of floral tributes left at Bondi Pavilion after the shooting on December 14, 2025.The vigil established at Bondi Pavilion following the December 14 terror attack.The flowers have been transported to Melbourne, where they are being used to create an exhibition for the Sydney Jewish Museum.Ms Sanadze said the flowers were a visible demonstration of the "outpouring and support" for the Jewish community."The flowers meant for me and for the Jewish community … they symbolise cohesion and empathy and standing together," she said.Comedian told he didn't 'look Jewish'The inquiry heard from a Jewish comedian who shared some of the material he performs at festivals and gigs."Earlier this year, I was outside a bar speaking to a non-Jewish friend who said to me, 'you don't experience antisemitism do you? You don't even look Jewish'," he said."I asked him, 'what does Jewish look like, horns?'""It's true, I don't look like [Jerry] Seinfeld, but that didn't stop my synagogue in Melbourne from being … set on fire recently, or the synagogue where I did my bat mitzvah from being rammed by a car."Nor did it stop my workplace from being firebombed and graffitied to depict my Jewish boss with horns."A witness described feeling "fear and shame" after the October 7, 2023 attack. (Suppied: Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion)The comic, who used the pseudonym CGM, said his peers had helped him when he started to isolate himself after October 7, 2023."After a few weeks, a comic with a Muslim background reached out to me and said 'where have you been?' I said I just feel like staying in … I feel so much fear and shame," he said."[The other comic] said to me 'brother, I've seen your act, you should have been feeling fear and shame the whole time.'"He said 'don't be stupid, come and tell jokes.' He gave me a spot at his gig, which is a very generous thing for a comic to do."CGM said he later told the other comic he felt "[Jewish] blood is cheap to people"."He said [the Muslim community] feel the same," he said."I think there's a lot of feelings and a lot of pain. But we didn't hurt each other, we made each other laugh."That is one example of the best of the industry and what I hope people would want out of their arts industry."It is interesting to be in that nuance and that connection rather than the binary I think that's what makes great art."