Affirming Jewish belonging in Australia

We are here tonight carrying something heavy, but also something shared.

Bondi was not just an act of terror. It was a rupture. It tore apart the illusion that distance could keep hatred at bay and it has forever changed how Australian Jews see themselves in this country.

Within hours of the attack, President Herzog called me: Israel is with you, he said. Just as you stood with us, we now stand with you.

In Jewish tradition there is a phrase from the Talmud: Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh – All of Israel are responsible for one another.

We are a single body animated by a single soul. When limbs in Australia are riddled with bullets, the heart bleeds in Israel; eyes weep in New York; breath catches in London. We feel each other deeply, symbiotically, no matter the distance.