In this episode, Rabbi Mendel Kastel speaks with Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman about how awareness can drive systemic change—and what happens when it’s absent. They explore the barriers people face when speaking out against discrimination, the danger of unconscious bias, and how seemingly ‘small’ acts of racism can carry lifelong impact. From legal advocacy to cultural accountability, Giridharan shares what’s shifting in Australian workplaces and public institutions, the need for better education across communities, and why allyship must go beyond good intentions.
Together, they unpack the stories that help build awareness, the role of Jewish and multicultural organisations in strengthening solidarity, and how a more just society starts with listening—then doing something about it.Awareness isn’t a buzzword. It’s the starting point for real accountability.
“We can’t make communities carry all the responsibility for fixing racism. The system should be preventing it in the first place.”
That’s just one of the powerful reflections shared by Giridharan Sivaraman, Race Discrimination Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission, in this episode of Navigating Antisemitism. Speaking with Rabbi Mendel Kastel, Sivaraman draws on decades of legal advocacy to unpack how racism and antisemitism play out in the real world, from schools and workplaces to online spaces, and why surface-level awareness still fails too many victims.
Prior to his appointment as Commissioner, Sivaraman was Principal Lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, leading national race discrimination cases and chairing Multicultural Australia. In this conversation, he speaks candidly about institutional denial, cultural silence, and what meaningful awareness really requires.
As Rabbi Kastel explains, Jewish House often deals with the aftermath of racism: the mental health toll, the fear of speaking up, the frustration with official channels. Sivaraman agrees that institutional failures are still far too common.
“They didn’t just ignore it. They said it wasn’t antisemitism,” he recalls, speaking about a recent case involving Jewish students. “The school initially said it wasn’t antisemitism, and that’s… that’s just shocking. I think when people go through these experiences, to then be told it’s not real, that it’s not what they say it is, it’s incredibly harmful.”
It’s not just a misstep. It’s a refusal to listen. And it shows that surface-level awareness isn’t enough.
“There are organisations that refuse to say the word racism,” he adds. “But if you don’t name it, you can’t fix it.”
For Sivaraman, raising awareness is important – but it’s not the endpoint. Especially when young people are involved.
He reflects on the messages students absorb when incidents go unaddressed. “When nothing happens, kids learn that racism is something you just have to accept. That’s not the message we want to be sending.”
Rabbi Kastel shares that Jewish House has supported several young people who experienced antisemitism at school. “They were expected to ‘move on’ while no one else was held accountable,” he says. “That’s not resilience. That’s abandonment.”
Real awareness means naming the harm, standing with victims, and setting clear boundaries about what’s acceptable.
One of the challenges Sivaraman highlights is the tendency to push the responsibility for awareness back onto minority communities. But awareness isn’t about telling victims to educate others. It’s about broader society choosing to see what’s in front of them.
“Everyone has some amount of power…however small..to bring about change,” he says. “You don’t need to be the principal or the CEO. You just have to choose not to ignore it.”
Whether it’s calling out casual racism, advocating for inclusive policies, or learning more about how discrimination operates, awareness is not passive. It’s an action.
Although this episode focuses on antisemitism, Sivaraman reminds us that racism in Australia cuts across many communities. He points to his own work with First Nations people and other marginalised groups, and how their experiences echo the same pattern: silence, denial, and inaction.
“This isn’t just about protecting victims,” he says. “It’s about what kind of society we want to live in. One where people are afraid to be who they are, or one where we all benefit from safety and dignity.”
So what does meaningful awareness look like? Sivaraman suggests it starts with listening – and being willing to be uncomfortable. “Awareness isn’t always pleasant. It should make you stop and think.”
Rabbi Kastel agrees. “It’s not about blame. It’s about paying attention.”
Both point to resources like the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Racism. It Stops With Me and Jewish House’s podcast as simple ways to start building racial literacy.
But the most important step is what happens after that.
Because awareness without action isn’t awareness at all.
