Dayenu opt out of parade

Sydney’s Jewish LGBT+ group Dayenu has announced “with a heavy heart” that they will not be participating in this year’s Mardi Gras due to safety concerns following the Bondi terror attack and hateful protests at Town Hall.

“After 25 years of participation at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, we will not be participating this year,” the Dayenu committee said in a statement.

“Since the tragic events of the October 7 attack in Israel, the Australian Jewish community has experienced an increasingly dangerous antisemitic climate in Australia. This has resulted in unprecedented concerns for the safety of Dayenu members and our Jewish community.”

Dayenu has explained that the decision is a result of “extensive consideration for the safety of not just our members, but that of spectators, participants and volunteers in the shadow of the Bondi terrorist attack on innocent Australian Jews, and the violent riot at Sydney Town Hall”.

“Dayenu look forward to once again participating in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade once civility and safety for all Jewish Australians returns.”

Dayenu was born in 1999 as a cooperation between the local lesbian and gay Jewish groups to enter a combined float in the 2000 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Last year while marching under the Mardi Gras theme of “Free to be”, Dayenu’s float had “Free to be Jewish” emblazoned in large lettering along the side of the truck. The float featured sparkling Stars of David and “25 years”, marking 25 years since the ground-breaking first Jewish float in the Mardi Gras in February 2000.

In 2024, despite being attacked by radical fringe group Pride in Protest and being forced to fend off hateful antisemitic attacks in the wake of the October 7 attacks, Dayenu enjoyed its largest ever Mardi Gras parade group. That year, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) Alex Ryvchin became the organisation’s first leader to march in the parade.