Waverley, Woollahra Councils unveil October 7 memorial

A permanent public artwork commemorating the continuing impact of the October 7, 2023 attacks on the Jewish community has been unveiled at Christison Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, jointly commissioned by Woollahra and Waverley councils.

The sculpture, titled “In Them We See Ourselves”, was unveiled on Friday by Woollahra Mayor Sarah Dixson and Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh, alongside NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Michele Goldman, who acted as master of ceremonies. Fragments of weathered corten steel rise from the ground and lean inward to form a sheltered space at the centre, which visitors are invited to enter and sit within, the ocean beyond.

Dixson said the park had not been chosen at random. Around 12,000 people had filled Christison Park for the United Together vigil marking the first anniversary of the attack, in one of the largest gatherings the municipality had ever seen.

“People came here to mourn the victims, to stand with survivors and their families, and to call for the hostages to be brought home,” she said.

She said the events of October 7 had not been experienced from afar. “They were deeply personal, touching family members and friends, and the grief and fear that followed has been felt in our streets, our schools, workplaces, and places of worship ever since.” She noted that both the Woollahra and Waverley mayors were Jewish, and that Woollahra Council had been led by a mayor or deputy mayor of Jewish heritage since December 2021.