Statements from communal organisations

Alain Hasson

CEO, JCA NSW

We are heartbroken and deeply shaken by the horrific shooting at Bondi Beach, targeted at the Jewish community. This is a terrible, terrible tragedy that has affected us all.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone at this time, particularly those who have lost family members, friends, and loved ones in this devastating attack. We stand in solidarity with all who are grieving, traumatised, or struggling to process the events of today.

Rabbi Pinchus Feldman

Head of Chabad NSW

Yesterday marked one of the darkest days for the Jewish community in Australia, as we mourn the tragic loss of 15 precious souls, brutally taken in the prime of their lives, and we pray for the full recovery of the many who were injured.

Among the murdered are Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, devoted members of the Chabad Bondi team and true beacons of light within our community.

These victims were men and women devoted to spreading goodness, kindness and light to all. That such a calamity struck during the lighting of the menorah; the eternal symbol of light conquering darkness, has deepened our pain, yet strengthened our resolve.

To our fellow members of the Jewish faith: Light your Chanukah candles proudly and continue to live openly and unapologetically as Jews. Those who carried out this atrocity seek to intimidate us, to make us cower and surrender to fear. That will never happen.

Doron Lazarus; Pam Krail

CEO; national president, JNF Australia

The tragic events that took place at the Chanukah gathering in Bondi have left us shaken and grieving. A moment meant for the celebration of light and Jewish spirit was cruelly transformed into a scene of terror. We mourn all of the victims, as behind every headline is a family shattered.

This was an attack on all Australia and as Australians, as Jews, we must remain committed to values that uphold the sanctity of life above all.

May the light of Chanukah strengthen us, unite us and remind us of who we are – a people who choose life, resilience and hope.

Dr George Foster

President, Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants

My parents came to Australia to escape the devastation of Europe and the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, believing they had found a place of lasting safety.

It is unbearable to think that such violence against Jews could occur here. While I would never wish that my parents were not alive, I confess that I feel a grim sense of relief that they are not here to witness this atrocity and to relive the terror they thought they had left behind.

Our deepest condolences go to the families of those who were murdered. We pray for the full and speedy recovery of those who were injured, and we hold all those affected by this horror in our thoughts and prayers.

Nilly Berger

President, WIZO NSW

We mourn the precious lives lost and hold in our thoughts all those who have been injured, traumatised, or forever changed by what has occurred. At moments like this, words feel inadequate in the face of such profound loss.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones who are grieving. We stand together in sorrow, compassion and solidarity, drawing strength from one another and from the values that unite us as a community. May the memories of those taken be a blessing, and may comfort and peace surround all who are mourning.

Danny Hochberg and Larryn Lockshin

UPJ Co-Presidents

Rather than celebrating light, our Jewish community has been flung into darkness. This is not just an attack on our Jewish community, but on all Australians, regardless of religion or ethnicity.

We mourn those who have lost their lives. We pray for the wounded and for the families waiting for news of loved ones. We stand united as a community and determined to stand proud and free, despite those who would wish us gone from public life. Am Yisrael Chai

Greg Shand

President, Sydney Jewish Museum

We mourn the lives lost, hold those injured in our thoughts, and extend our deepest compassion to the families and loved ones whose lives have been forever changed.

At a time of profound grief, we are reminded why our mission – to educate in order to combat hate and foster tolerance – matters so deeply.

The Jewish people have long drawn strength from courage, solidarity and hope, as so aptly demonstrated in the story of Chanukah. Even in moments of darkness, we come together to grieve and to reaffirm our shared commitment to dignity and understanding.

Lynda Ben Menashe

National president, National Council of Jewish Women of Australia

NCJWA is devastated by the terror attack which targeted members of the Jewish community celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach.

To our fellow Australians: the blood spilled on the sand of our country’s most iconic beach is the real-life, natural consequence of more than two years of hate speech against Jewish people that has gone unchecked on our streets. It is the inevitable and utterly predictable result that we have been warning about for over two years, of there being insufficient consequence for publicly expressing that hate speech and vilification.

May the memories of those murdered be a blessing. May they also be the very last warning required to banish ignorance, complacency and inaction in the face of the clear and present danger to our Australian way of life and to every single Australian life.

Jason Steinberg

President, Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies

Our hearts are with the victims’ families and with those who were at the beach last night and will carry this trauma with them.

This terrorist attack on our Jewish and Australian way of life is an abomination, but sadly it does not come as a surprise. Since October 7, 2023, Australia’s Jewish community has been under sustained attack – through words, marches, demonstrations and fire bombings. For more than two years we have seen hatred against Jews seep into classrooms, workplaces, medical institutions and the arts and cultural sectors. We warned our leaders and people outside our community that if such hatred was allowed to flourish, lives would be lost.

Last night, we saw the consequences of building hatred against Jews in real time.

Dvir Abramovich

Chair, Anti-Defamation Commission

I am speaking tonight not as a commentator, not as a representative, but as a Jew who no longer feels safe in the country he trusted for nearly four decades. When Jews are murdered while celebrating their faith, it is a failure so profound that it shatters any illusion of protection or belonging.

This massacre did not come out of nowhere. Deadly hatred does not erupt spontaneously. For years, Jews have been screamed at in public, called Nazis, baby killers, monsters, week after week in rallies. When that language is repeated long enough, someone eventually decides Jews deserve to die.

Roz Rothstein

CEO, StandWithUs

We are heartbroken by the terrorist shooting that targeted Jews at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. We send our love, strength and solidarity to everyone affected, and to the loved ones of those murdered and injured. May their memories be a blessing, and may the wounded find healing.

Eva Fischl; Brett Kaye; Michael Pollak

President; national director; NSW director, The Joint Australia

The targeted antisemitic violence at Bondi Beach on the first night of Chanukah has left us shaken, saddened and searching for words that feel adequate – and none truly are.

Our hearts are with those who were murdered, with those recovering from injury, and with the families, friends and witnesses whose sense of safety has been so deeply ruptured. We hold you in our thoughts and prayers.

We are deeply grateful to the emergency responders, medical teams and community security personnel who acted with courage and compassion under horrific circumstances.

Robert Gregory

CEO, Australian Jewish Association

What happened is a tragedy, but it should not be viewed as a surprise. The Albanese government ignored countless warnings, including from one of the murder victims, Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

Instead of cracking down on Islamic hate preachers, the Albanese government revoked the visas of Jewish and Israeli visitors. Instead of being raided and shut down, radical mosques and extremist Islamic organisations were given taxpayer grants.

When the Australian government recognised a non-existent State of Palestine, I and other Jewish leaders warned that this would embolden extremists and that Australian Jews would ultimately pay the price.

Gideon Kline; Adam Krongold; Sidra Moshinsky

Co-president; co-president; museum director & CEO, Jewish Museum of Australia

We are absolutely devastated, grief-stricken and in shock.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased victims, with the injured as they battle for recovery and the Sydney Jewish community. We also pay our deepest respects to the first responders, police force, paramedics and courageous members of the public who worked so valiantly to save and rescue.

It is hard to find words to express the sense of loss the Jewish community is feeling right now, not only around the loss of lives but also around the loss of a way of life.

When Jewish Australians cannot freely and safely practise rituals and share our culture in the public arena, then no one in society is truly free.

Associate Professor David Slucki

Director, Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation

We are deeply shaken by the senseless violence and loss of life at Bondi Beach yesterday.

At a time when many in our community were gathering to bring light into the world, and to retell the story of Jews enduring persecution in the ancient world, we cannot find words sufficient to express the heartbreak and distress felt by so many. In a moment that should have been about hope and togetherness, we are confronted with violence and fear. Our hearts go out to all those directly affected, and we hold deep compassion for families and friends anxiously awaiting news of loved ones.

Michael Dunkel; Robert Schneider

President; CEO, Australian Friends of the Hebrew University

We are devastated by the horrific and deadly attack on our community last night, and our hearts are with all those who have been affected by this abhorrent tragedy.

The Australian Friends of the Hebrew University extends its heartfelt sympathy to the victims and their families and wish those injured a refuah shlema.

Yoash Dvir

CEO, Technion Australia

The recent attack in Bondi has shaken many of us personally.

Bondi is not an abstract place – it is somewhere we walk, meet friends, raise families, and feel at home. The sense of safety that underpins daily life was deeply disturbed, and we share in the grief, shock, and sorrow felt across the community.

We always say that Technion is more than an institute, it’s a family. We saw it right after our board of governors when we had participants who stayed in Israel and got caught in the Iran war and we see it today, when messages from all over the world and from within our community, have been flooding us since last night when the horror news started to come from Bondi.

Professor Ariel Porat

President, Tel Aviv University

I extend my deepest condolences to the Jewish community of Sydney. Barely two months ago I was in Australia, meeting with our supporters, reinforcing warm friendships, and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Australian Friends of Tel Aviv University.

Now, shockingly, we mourn the loss of many lives, taken in an act of hatred at an event devoted to light and community. Our hearts are with the families of those murdered and we wish the speediest possible recovery to the wounded.

We stand in grief and solidarity with all Australia as you cope with this tragedy.

Leah Boulton

CEO & founder, Pathways Melbourne

We are all shocked and devastated by the antisemitic acts of violence at Bondi Beach, which occurred as families gathered to celebrate the first night of Chanukah.
Our hearts are with the Jewish community in Sydney, and with all Australians affected by this senseless tragedy. As we struggle to comprehend what has occurred, we draw strength from the unity and resilience of our community.
Chanukah reminds us that even in the darkest moments of history, light endures.

Courgage to Care Australia

Courage to Care Australia is devastated by the horrific act of violence at Bondi Beach, which has shocked our nation and caused immeasurable grief—particularly as it occurred on the first night of Chanukah, a time that should be marked by light, hope and renewal.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones, including 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, who died protecting his wife, Larisa. The profound tragedy of Mr. Kleytman’s death—a man who survived the Holocaust only to be murdered in an act of antisemitic terror decades later—reminds us of the enduring and deadly nature of hatred. Our thoughts are with all those who remain hospitalised and recovering from their injuries, their families, and all those traumatised by this senseless attack.

There is no place in Australia for violence, hatred or terror of any kind. This moment must serve as a clear line in the sand for our country. We need strong, principled leadership that unequivocally rejects antisemitism, racism and all forms of extremism, and that affirms the safety, dignity and belonging of every Australian.

NSW Faith Affairs Council

The NSW Faith Affairs Council and the Multicultural NSW Advisory Board extend our deepest sympathies to the victims of the tragic shooting at Bondi Beach.

Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims, their families and everyone impacted by this unspeakable act of violence targeting our Australian Jewish community. We will not let hatred and violence divide us. Across all our cultures and faiths, will stand united in sympathy, compassion and solidarity.