From battlefront to the courtroom and beyond, Arsen Ostrovsky has become one of the foremost human rights lawyers and advocates for the Jewish state on the international stage.
Born in the former Soviet Union, Arsen and his family came to Australia as ‘refuseniks’ in 1987.
“I was always imbued with a strong sense of history and Jewish identity, though grew up in a fully secular environment, and not particularly active in the community. For me, the major turning point was the 2002 execution of American Jewish journalist Danny Pearl. His immortal last words “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish”, had a profound impact on me and commenced the journey to where I have come today.”
Having completed his law studies and practiced for a number of years as a corporate litigation attorney, in 2009 Arsen decided to forego his career at a top law firm in Sydney to take part in the Masa Career program, where he interned at the Knesset and at a Jerusalem-based think tank, gaining early exposure to Israel’s legal and policy landscape.
“For me, it wasn’t only the incredible professional opportunity, but an Aliyah
trial run. After barely one week, I knew I would be moving. It was truly a transformative experience”, says Ostrovsky.
In the last five years, Arsen served as CEO of the International Legal Forum (ILF), an Israel-based NGO and global coalition of lawyers, who have been at the forefront of combating antisemitism and standing up for Israel in the international legal arena.
Since Oct 7th, Arsen’s work has led him to making the case for Israel before the United Nations, Congress, the House of Lords and beyond, including at the international courts in The Hague, against the malicious charges of genocide levelled at Israel. Arsen has also been involved in number of groundbreaking lawsuits against Hamas supporters, on behalf of Hostage Families and October 7th victims.
A frequent commentator on TV and some of the world’s leading publications, Arsen is also one of the leading voices in the war of narratives for Israel on-line, where his posts (namely on ‘X’) have reached over a billion users since Oct 7th.
This year, Arsen was recognized by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 Most Influential Jewish Leaders in the world, while the Knesset presented him with the ‘Voices of Iron’ Award, in recognition of being one of the leading advocates for Israel since October 7th.
Soon, Arsen and his family will be moving back to Australia, where he has been appointed to head the Sydney office of AIJAC (Australia & Israel Jewish Affairs Council), the leading public policy and advocacy organization the Jewish community.
“Moving back to Australia comes with mixed emotions,” he admits. “It hasn’t been easy raising a family during war time in Israel, but this is home and I will always love Israel. I see my mission as standing up for Israel and fighting for truth — that’s what I’ve always done, and now it’s time to continue this battle from a new front.”