Yom Kippur and the unbreakable Jewish spirit

This Yom Kippur arrives after painful years for the Jewish people.

The Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 changed Jewish life worldwide. The murder, kidnapping and brutalisation of Israelis were followed swiftly by an alarming rise in antisemitism. Jewish Australians encountered hostility at work, universities, schools and in public. Many felt that Israel had been placed on trial before the dead were buried and while hostages remained captive.

Then came the Bondi Beach terrorist attack against the Jewish community on December 14, 2025. A celebration of Chanukah, the festival of Jewish light and religious freedom, became the scene of mass murder. Jews gathered openly to celebrate their faith and were targeted because they were Jewish.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was established in January 2026 after that attack. It is examining the circumstances surrounding Bondi, the drivers of Australian antisemitism and the impact of hatred on Jewish Australians. More than 20,000 submissions were received, showing the problem’s scale.

Yet Yom Kippur reminds us that human commissions represent only one level of justice.

At this day’s heart is our belief that the world has a Higher Judge. People can distort facts, excuse cruelty and apply morality selectively. Hashem sees beyond appearances. Nothing is hidden and no injustice forgotten. His judgement is just, even when beyond human understanding.

On Yom Kippur, we stand before Hashem without distraction or pretence. We acknowledge our failings, accept responsibility and ask for another beginning. The process is demanding yet uplifting. Teshuvah teaches that people can change, that wrongdoing matters and that no soul is beyond repair.

That faith has sustained the Jewish people through still harsher circumstances.

During the Yom Kippur service, we recount the deaths of the Ten Martyrs, among them Rabbi Akiva. The Romans prohibited the public teaching of Torah, yet Rabbi Akiva continued teaching openly. When challenged, he explained that Torah was to Jews what water is to fish. A fish cannot live without water. Without Torah, the Jewish soul cannot survive.

Rabbi Akiva was arrested and cruelly executed. The Talmud records that, during his torture, the time came for Shema. He began to pray. His students could not understand how he could accept the sovereignty of Heaven at such a moment.

Rabbi Akiva explained that throughout his life he had recited the words commanding us to love Hashem “with all your soul”, meaning even if one’s soul is taken. He had always wondered when he would have the opportunity to fulfil those words completely. He prolonged the final word of the Shema – Echad, declaring that Hashem is One – until his soul departed.

The Romans took Rabbi Akiva’s life. They could not take his faith, his dignity or his Jewish identity.

That is the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people. Governments have expelled us, armies have attacked us and movements have attempted to erase our history. Yet we have continued to pray, teach Torah, establish families and build flourishing Jewish communities. Each generation has carried the flame forward, sometimes through darkness, but never allowing it to be extinguished.

Our connection to the Land of Israel has been central to that endurance. For thousands of years, Jews have faced Jerusalem in prayer and spoken of returning to Zion. The establishment of the State of Israel gave political and practical expression to that ancient bond. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people, a refuge built after centuries of persecution and the place where Jewish history, language and national responsibility are lived each day.

Our connection to Israel does not weaken when Israel is criticised or attacked. It becomes more deeply felt. We may debate policies, leaders and political decisions, as Israelis themselves do vigorously. The underlying bond remains immutable. Israel is woven into our history, our prayers and our identity.

Yom Kippur therefore asks us to look inward without becoming inward-looking. We must examine our own conduct while remaining clear about the hatred directed against us. Teshuvah does not require Jews to accept responsibility for antisemitism. Responsibility for antisemitism belongs to antisemites and to the institutions that excuse or tolerate it.

Our task is to respond as Jews, with honesty, courage and an open Jewish heart.

We respond by strengthening our communities, supporting Israel, teaching Judaism to our children, attending shule and refusing to conceal our identity. We seek justice through the institutions of this country while maintaining our faith in the ultimate justice of Hashem.

This Yom Kippur, we carry the pain of October 7 and Bondi into the synagogue.

We also carry thousands of years of Jewish courage. We have been wounded, but our spirit remains intact.

At the culmination of Neilah, we stand together and recite the Shema, affirming the same truth that sustained Rabbi Akiva: that our faith in Hashem and our collective Jewish identity remain forever unbreakable.

Rabbi Yaakov Glasman is rabbi of St Kilda Hebrew Congregation.