Herzog lays wreath at Bondi Pavilion

“The current rise in antisemitism around the world is a global emergency,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared as he laid a wreath and two stones from Jerusalem at Bondi Pavilion on Monday morning in memory of the 15 people killed in the December 14, 2025 terror attack.

Herzog, accompanied by first lady Michal Herzog, was joined by Premier Chris Minns and Waverley mayor Will Nemesh, who also laid wreaths.

Also in his delegation were Jewish Agency chairman Doron Almog, World Zionist Organisation chairperson Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the National Organisation Victims of Terror Abie Moses, and Kibbutz Nir Oz October 7 survivor Izhar Lifshitz.

“In Jewish tradition, we place stones on graves to represent the endurance of memory, the weight of loss and the unbreakable bond between the living and those we have lost,” Herzog told media after the wreath-laying ceremony.

“These stones from Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, will remain here at Bondi for eternity in sacred memory of the victims and as a reminder that the bonds between good people of all faiths and all nations will continue to hold strong in the face of terror, violence and hatred.”

Herzog described the attack as “the deadliest terror attack in Australia’s history”, noting that 15 people who had gathered to celebrate Chanukah were “massacred in cold blood by two Islamist terrorists”.

He noted that the youngest victim was 10-year-old Matilda, while the oldest was 87-year-old Alex Kleytman, who survived the Holocaust.

“These vile terrorists specifically and deliberately targeted our sisters and brothers, Australian Jews. Yet this was also an attack on all Australians,” Herzog said.

“They attack the values that our democracies treasure: the sanctity of human life, the freedom of religion, tolerance, dignity and respect.”

Herzog emphasised that antisemitism in Australia was not solely a Jewish problem.

“Antisemitism here in Australia is not a Jewish problem. It is an Australian problem and a global problem,” he said.

“Over the generations, one thing has become clear: hatred that starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews.”

He welcomed steps taken by the Australian government to tackle antisemitism since the Bondi attack, but called for more action.

“Leaders across all sectors of society must speak out clearly and consistently against antisemitism because silence in the face of hatred is complicity,” he said.

When asked by Australian media whether more could have been done to prevent the attack, Herzog said the frustrations were “shared by many, many of us, including myself”.

“I alerted way in advance, as well as many others, and that is why I understand this frustration clearly, and I hope the steps that were recently taken will bring change,” he said.

“This has to be a consistent, ongoing effort to change reality.”

Asked about planned protests in Sydney for those mourning casualties in Gaza, Herzog said the demonstrations “in most cases, what you hear and see comes to undermine and delegitimise our right, my nation’s right, the nation which I am the head of state of its mere existence”.

“We did not seek that war. On October 7, our nation was attacked terribly, and people were butchered, murdered, raped and burned and abducted,” he said.

“Terror is what undermines the whole viability of peace and the notion of peace in the region.”

Herzog said his visit was meant to “express solidarity, friendship and love” and represented “an opportunity to upgrade the relations between Israel and Australia”.

“I want to send a message from brothers and sisters all over the world: you’re not alone. The nation and the State of Israel are with you. The Jewish people are with you,” he said.

“We should stand together, and we should be proud of our identity, our Jewish identity.”

Watch President Herzog’s full speech below