Australian Jews tell antisemitism inquiry of surge in hate before Bondi Hanukkah massacre – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Pixabay)
Sydney – Australian Jews delivered emotional testimonies Monday to a national inquiry into antisemitism, describing a chilling rise in hatred that peaked with the massacre of 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach last December. The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion opened its public hearings in Sydney, marking the start of a two-week examination of bigotry’s spread through the country’s institutions and communities. Witnesses linked the violence to a broader surge in attacks following the Israel-Hamas war that erupted in October 2023.
The Bondi Beach Tragedy Unfolds
Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram carried out the shooting at the crowded beach gathering, using firearms they owned legally despite Australia’s strict gun regulations. Authorities described the assault as inspired by the Islamic State group, coming amid a flurry of prior antisemitic crimes across the nation. Sajid Akram died in a police shootout at the scene, while his son survived with wounds and now faces charges including 15 counts of murder and a terrorist act.
The incident shattered a sense of security in a country where mass shootings had been rare since major reforms followed a 1996 Tasmania rampage. An interim commission report released in April highlighted gaps in law enforcement’s response to hate crimes and urged consistent national gun laws along with a weapons buyback program. Federal and state leaders have taken up the push for tighter controls in the massacre’s wake.
Witnesses Recount Personal Encounters with Hate
Speaking under pseudonyms in some cases, Jewish Australians shared harrowing stories of verbal abuse, physical assaults, and threats that made daily life precarious. Sheina Gutnick, daughter of victim Reuven Morrison, recalled being harassed in a Sydney mall a year before the attack simply for wearing a Star of David necklace while holding her baby. Morrison, 62, tried to fight back by throwing a brick at one gunman before he was killed.
“I felt shocked, exposed and unsafe,” Gutnick told the hearing. “There were many people around me but no one intervened.” She now avoids public family events and certain Sydney areas out of caution. Toby Raphael, vice president of Sydney’s Newtown Synagogue, described swastikas defacing the building amid 2025’s crime wave, forcing armed guards at synagogues and his son’s Jewish school.
“Why do kids have to go to school like that?” Raphael asked. “This is the world that the Jews of Australia live in now and it needs to change.”
A Sharp Rise in Reported Incidents
The Bondi killings capped a dramatic increase in antisemitism, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry logging over 2,000 episodes in the year after October 7, 2023 – more than quadruple the prior record of under 500. Commissioner Virginia Bell noted the pattern echoed trends in other Western nations, tied directly to Middle East tensions. “It’s important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility toward Jewish Australians simply because they’re Jews,” she said.
Prior attacks targeted schools, businesses, and synagogues, including arson at the home of Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin in 2025. He warned early that year of a looming catastrophe, a prediction borne out by December’s bloodshed. The government blamed Iran for at least two incidents and severed ties with Tehran in August. Some witnesses expressed plans to emigrate, citing crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters at synagogues and unrelenting fear.
Key Figures from the Surge:
- Over 2,000 antisemitic incidents reported post-October 2023.
- Previous annual high: Fewer than 500.
- 15 killed in Bondi; dozens wounded.
- Further hearings planned through the year, final report in December.
The commission’s work continues with additional sessions this year, aiming for a comprehensive report by December. As Jewish communities grapple with heightened vigilance – from security details to relocation thoughts – the inquiry underscores a pressing need to confront hatred’s roots and restore safety in everyday Australian life.
