Shofar sounded for Opposition Leader at Bondi attack site
'I am deeply impressed by the resilience of this community,' Taylor says. 'Their strength in the face of such hatred is an example to all Australians'
Two survivors of the Bondi Beach terror attack sounded the shofar for Opposition Leader Angus Taylor at the site of the massacre on Wednesday.
Nitzutz director Rabbi Mendy Berger and co-director Rabbi Yanky Super, who was shot in the December 14 attack, took Taylor to the site where 15 people were murdered. The shofar was sounded in the spirit of Elul over the promenade where the community continues to gather to grieve. The rabbis thanked Taylor for working with the government to strengthen Australia’s antisemitism laws
Mitzvah House founder Rabbi Noach Koncepolski presented him with a copy of the book Conversations With My Rabbi, co-written by Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the attack.
“I am deeply impressed by the resilience of this community,” Taylor said at the site. “Their strength in the face of such hatred is an example to all Australians.”
Rabbi Super said the cause had to unite both sides of politics. Rabbi Berger described it as “a very meaningful morning in Bondi”, saying they had the honour of sounding the shofar for the Opposition Leader and sharing a glimpse into the resilience of the Jewish community.
Rabbi Koncepolski said it was good to welcome Taylor. “During our conversation, Angus mentioned that he just couldn’t understand, he just couldn’t fathom the hate towards the Jewish people, that is rising now,” Rabbi Koncepolski told The AJN. “And what I said to him, is that the goal is not to understand. The question is what do we do about it? And I presented him the book that was written by Rabbi Eli Schlanger, which we think is a manual to help make the world a better place. It’s about action.”
Writing on social media after the visit, Taylor said Super had stoically recounted the horror of what occurred on December 14, and that a former AFP whistleblower had revealed extreme pressure on counter-terrorism resources at the time.
He said that was reason enough for the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion to be extended, along with the fact that key witnesses had not been called.