Waverley Council honours Bondi attack victims

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said the council’s formal honouring of the Bondi terror attack victims at Tuesday’s meeting created “a solemn space for remembrance, reflection and collective mourning”.

Councillors and general manager Emily Scott, alongside NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Michele Goldman and Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, lit 15 candles in honour of the victims of the December 14 terrorist attack in which 15 were killed. Candles were also lit in recognition of survivors and first responders.

The gallery on Tuesday was reserved for family members of the victims, while survivors of the attack were also invited.

Reuven Morrison’s daughter Sheina Gutnik joined the meeting via video to recite a tribute for her father. “There is not a day that passes that we do not question this reality,” she said. “Even in death, his life speaks.”

Nemesh told The AJN that the reading of 15 obituaries allowed the Council to honour each victim individually and remember them “for the lives they led, the love they gave and the love they received from family, friends and their communities”.

“The public sharing of condolences served as a reminder to the community that we stand together, united in our grief and a commitment to always choose light over darkness,” he said.

Nemesh also presented a Mayoral Minute calling on the federal government to fund and roll out a national civic education program to help foster social cohesion and combat antisemitism.

The idea will be submitted for consideration as a motion for the National General Assembly of Local Government in June.

“As the level of government closest to the people, Councils are uniquely placed to facilitate resilient and safe communities but this is something we cannot do alone,” Nemesh told The AJN.

“An all-of-government and societal approach to combatting antisemitism specifically – and hatred more generally – is crucial. Bringing this to the consideration of the largest gathering of local government leaders in Australia marks a critical step toward mobilising positive change in communities.”

He emphasised that antisemitism was not just a Jewish issue but an Australian issue.

“Antisemitism sows division and erodes social cohesion, leaving our communities vulnerable to all forms of hatred,” Nemesh said. “Words are no longer enough – the time for action is now.”

The meeting also heard from Jordan Vic, who presented a petition with over 22,000 signatures calling for Bondi Park Playground to be renamed Matilda Bee Playground in honour of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the attack.

The petition has gained the support of Matilda’s parents.

Matilda’s mother Valentyna Poltavchenko commented on the petition, saying it was “a beautiful idea”, according to the Daily Telegraph. “Matilda was the only child whose life was taken during that attack. She deserves to be remembered,” she said.

Councillor Michelle Stephenson said the Waverley community “felt in real time the fragility of the place we call home”, while councillor Paula Masselos said she hoped the victims would be “remembered for the light they brought to the world, not the hate that took them”.