Permanently honouring Bondi victims

Four months after the terrorist attack that claimed 15 Jewish lives at Archer Park, a memorial plaque has been unveiled at North Bondi RSL in a moving ceremony that brought together the Jewish community, military veterans and Bondi locals.

The plaque stands as a permanent tribute to those killed at the Chanukah event on December 14, and as a symbol of the bond between the Jewish community, the RSL’s veteran members and the broader Bondi community.

“We gather here tonight in memory – memory of fifteen lives taken from this world in an act that defies understanding,” Rabbi Yehoram Ulman said.

“We stand together in grief, in reflection, and in unity.”

Drawing on the Jewish tradition of the Seven Noahide Laws, a universal moral foundation, he said they speak of “justice, of respect for life, of moral responsibility, of building a world grounded in what is right”.

“Prayer is not only what we say, it is what we are moved to do,” he said.

“If our prayers tonight remain only words, no matter how sincere, no matter how heartfelt, then they remain incomplete. The true measure of prayer is what follows: how we live, how we act, how we influence the world around us.”

“This plaque, then, becomes more than a memorial. It becomes a responsibility.”

He urged those present to “take the pain we feel, and transform it into purpose”.

“To take memory, and turn it into moral action. To ensure that these fifteen lives are not only remembered, but that their memory becomes a force for good in the world,” he said.

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said the occasion gave the community space to pause.

“Moments like the plaque unveiling at North Bondi RSL help our community pause, reflect and remember,” Nemesh said.

“This plaque is a tangible symbol of our enduring commitment to honour those taken from us and to ensure their light continues to guide us.”

North Bondi RSL said in a statement that its veterans “will forever stand” with their Jewish brothers and sisters.