Melbourne-based sculptor Nina Sanadze said she faced immediate backlash following the October 7 attacks in Israel.Â
An artists' WhatsApp chat that included about 600 Jewish creatives was leaked in early 2024.
Ms Sanadze was one artist targeted and said private messages sent to a colleague in which she called Hamas "animals" were leaked.
She told the royal commission mentions of Hamas were replaced with "Palestinians" by the time it was published, alleging it was to accuse her of dehumanising Gazans.
The Soviet-born artist felt the Australian creative sector has been "radicalised" by a Marxist-Socialist ideology since the 1960s.
"They divide people into oppressors and the oppressed. And if you're in a category of the oppressor, any violence, any harassment, any bullying is by all means acceptable," Ms Sanadze said.
She said she struggled to engage with the art world's discussion of the Middle East and pressure to attend rallies.
Another witness spoke of the two sides of the Australian comedy scene, which he said could be an open community, or a place of isolation, harassment and bigotry.
The witness, speaking under a pseudonym, felt exhausted trying to call out anti-Semitism and being ostracised.
"Coming out as Jewish in such a public way, and worse, complaining about how unpleasant it can be, seemed to make some people very angry and lash out," he said.
The witness said he secured fewer gigs due to his Jewish identity.
Ms Sanadze echoed this sentiment and said colleagues were too afraid to exhibit works, especially after the Bondi terror attack.
"Jewish creatives are such an incredible, extinct minority already, and we have been now erased almost entirely," Ms Sanadze told the inquiry.
Special Envoy for Combating Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal raised particular concerns with the funding provided to the arts sector during her appearance at the inquiry on Thursday.
Ms Segal said every venue and event should be conscious of negative impacts to social cohesion, particularly when it involved public funding.
"The arts are important in challenging our thinking ... I wouldn't want to, in any way, constrain that," she said.
"But how do you balance that with making sure that everyone feels safe?"
The head of the national advisory body Creative Australia will front the inquiry later on Friday.
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