Choosing resilience over fear

The Empowered Jew will partner with Caulfield Shule and J-United to present the Empowered Jew Weekend, a three-day program dedicated to education, resilience and empowerment, running in Melbourne from July 17-19.

The event comes in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, with organisers saying the current climate makes the weekend particularly timely, as many in the community grapple with how to remain openly and proudly Jewish amid rising antisemitism.

Empowered Jew founder Chavi Block-Israel, a survivor of the Bondi attack, said fear was often the instinctive response to such events, but she had come to believe the opposite was needed.

“As a Bondi survivor myself, there are moments when fear feels like the natural response. Yet I have come to believe the opposite is true. Now is precisely the time to stand taller, strengthen our Jewish identity, and be proud of who we are.”

She said those seeking to intimidate or silence Jewish people wanted the community to retreat, and the appropriate response was to deepen connections to Judaism and Israel while building the knowledge and confidence to navigate the current environment.