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After the Bondi terror attack, Australians stood with the Jewish community in grief and solidarity—revealing a turning point that demands unity, moral courage, and decisive action against antisemitism.

The recent terrorist attack at Bondi Beach sent shockwaves through the entire nation. Like all Australians, the ACT Jewish Community was deeply shaken by the brutality of the act and the innocent lives lost. Yet for our community, the impact cut especially deep. It touched ancient wounds, collective memory, and a history that too often knows the language of hatred and terror all too well.

In the days that followed, something profoundly moving occurred. Our community was embraced. Flowers appeared at our doors and at our centre. Cards, letters, phone calls, and messages poured in—many from people we had never met. Friends and strangers alike came in person, simply to say: we see you, we stand with you, you are not alone.

One moment in particular will remain etched in our hearts: the visit of Christopher Prowse, Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, accompanied by his senior clerical team. Their presence was not symbolic or perfunctory—it was deeply human, compassionate, and sincere. They came not as observers, but as partners in grief and solidarity. It was a powerful reminder of what interfaith leadership can and should look like in moments of national trauma.

Solidarity, Vigil, and Interfaith Courage

That same spirit was profoundly evident on Sunday night, when nearly one thousand people stood together in unified vigil in the Great Hall at Parliament House. The Canberra Jewish community invited Australians of all faiths, along with political leaders from all sides of politics, to gather in prayer, reflection, and unity.

Rabbi Feldman Manora

We came not only to mourn the innocent victims of the Bondi terror attack of 14 December, but to make a clear and collective statement: that as Australians, we will not tolerate violence, hatred, or those who seek to harm us.

In a moment that captured the heart of the evening, Shmuley Feldman beautifully described those present as “a living, warm, loving hug to Jewish Australians”—a phrase that will long remain with us as a testament to shared humanity, courage, and national solidarity.

ACT Jewish Community President Athol Morris also addressed the gathering and spoke for us all when he said,

“The only way to truly honour the victims and all of our fellow Australians is to invest in the deep work that creates a cohesive society because our story is now your story, and together we must write its newest chapter.

“We are now bound together in our shared humanity and a shared destiny: an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and in that truth we stand side by side, forever intertwined in compassion, resilience and hope.”

ACT Jewish Community President Athol Morris

These responses stood in stark contrast to the months following 7 October. In that time, many Jewish Australians experienced hostility, demonisation, and silence where empathy should have been.

What made 14 December different is that the attack at Bondi struck at the heart of Australia itself. Bondi is not just a place — it is a symbol of openness, freedom, and shared national identity. When hatred touched Bondi, it touched everyone.

And this time, Australia responded.

From Compassion to Consequence: A Call to Act

However, this moment must also mark a turning point — one that demands courage, clarity, and action from government at both state and federal levels. Australians have had enough of words without consequence.

It is no longer acceptable to pay lip service to combating antisemitism while allowing it to metastasise in plain sight. Incitement to violence, whether preached from pulpits, chanted on streets, or disguised as political activism, must be confronted unequivocally.

There can be no tolerance for hate preachers who radicalise congregants, demonise Jews, or legitimise violence in the name of faith or ideology. Calls to “globalise the intifada” are not slogans of peace; they are explicit endorsements of violence. Likewise, “from the river to the sea” marches, falsely framed as solidarity with Palestinians, must be recognised for what they often are: thinly veiled support for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the terror apparatus backed by the regime in Iran.

This is the moment to act decisively. The Australian Government should implement Jillian Segal’s recommendations on combating antisemitism in full and without delay, embedding them into law, policy, education, and enforcement. Beyond this, the gravity and persistence of antisemitism in Australia now warrants a Royal Commission into antisemitism—to expose its sources, networks, funding, and failures of oversight, and to ensure accountability at every level. Anything less risks normalising hatred, eroding social cohesion, and betraying the values Australia claims to stand for. If we are serious about unity, safety, and moral leadership, this is the line we must finally draw.

Of great comfort is the fact that the Christian community, and indeed most people of all faiths and none, have stepped forward with clarity and moral courage. This feels like a moment when Australians collectively said: enough. Enough of antisemitism. Enough of targeting Jewish Australians—people who have contributed profoundly to this nation as doctors, teachers, artists, business leaders, public servants, volunteers, and community builders. Enough of allowing hatred to masquerade as political discourse or moral concern.

For me personally, these events have also marked a spiritual turning point. In the face of grief and solidarity, my own Judaism has been renewed and strengthened. I felt the presence of my parents’ memory walking beside me, and the weight of history pressing gently—but firmly—on my heart. The voices of those lost in the Shoah, and of all Jewish victims of hatred across generations, call on us not only to remember, but to act.

To honour their memory after 14 December is not only to mourn—but to commit ourselves to building a better Australia: more just, more compassionate, and utterly intolerant of hate.

We have reached a tipping point. Reclaiming Australian values—fairness, mateship, respect, and shared responsibility—must now be a collective task. Every part of Australian society has a role to play in confronting and dismantling hatred and division, whether it comes from radical Islamism, the far right, or the far left. Extremism wears many faces, but it is united by one goal: to fracture social cohesion and dehumanise the “other”.

We must not allow that to happen.

The Torah teaches us to choose life, to pursue justice, and to comfort those who mourn. May all who grieve be comforted. And may this moment—born of tragedy—be remembered as the moment Australia stood up, together, and said with one voice: never again is not a memory of the past; never again is now.

This Christmas, Jews in the ACT and across Australia do more than simply wish our Christian friends and neighbours Merry Christmas. We say something deeper: we see you, we understand the power of your faith, and we stand with you. We stand together against those who seek to belittle religion, to dismiss faith as outdated or irrelevant, or to strip our society of its moral and spiritual foundations. Now more than ever, we must look beyond what is merely visible. We must reach toward the soul of our nation—a soul that can only be guided by love, by goodness, and by enduring, eternal truths that transcend fear, hatred, and division.

Appeal for the Bondi Terrorist Attack Victims

Celebrate Israel, in partnership with the Canberra Declaration and other supporters, have organised a relief fund appeal for the victims and families of the Sydney Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

Our giving team is called Celebrate Israel Australia on the platform and is part of a much larger appeal run on the Charidy giving website. All donations are tax-deductible and will be administrated by the Jewish United Support Fund.

The relief fund will provide direct financial support, helping families begin to rebuild their lives after this tragedy. Assistance is especially needed to cover essential commitments when the family’s primary breadwinner has been killed. Find out more about this appeal on The Daily Declaration here.

Please stand alongside the Jewish community as a visible demonstration of God’s love to them at this critical time of need. So far, far, as of writing, over $17,000 has already been donated, and we prayerfully seeking to raise $100,000.

Please share this appeal button with your church networks and friends.

Give by clicking the green button below.

DONATE TO JEWISH RELIEF FUND