‘You don’t need to change. Australia needs to change’

“You don’t need to change. Australia needs to change,” NSW Premier Chris Minns told members of the Jewish community gathered at a Yom Ha’atzmaut cocktail function on Thursday night.

Acknowledging the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025, the Premier noted that “six months on, you meet tonight on Israeli Independence Day – this landmark of Jewish survival – not in fear or silence, but instead with pride, with defiance and with a clear message to any terrorists: this is your home,” he said.

The Premier also addressed the Royal Commission hearings that have taken place throughout this week.

“Yesterday, we heard some incredibly distressing testimony of children being abused in school, of racist imagery being normalised, of young Australian Jews having to hide their identity in public, of Jewish Australians fearing violence at schools and synagogues and Jewish events,” he said.

“It was hard enough to listen to – I can only imagine how hard it was for the witnesses, particularly the young people, getting up and sharing those stories on the national stage in public.

“When you hear a 13 year old child being abused in the playground with awful slurs aimed directly at their Jewish identity, you can’t tell me that is a reasonable disagreement about foreign policy. It is racism, plain and simple.”

He added, “If you want to incite violence in our community on our streets in Sydney, then Australia just isn’t the country for you.”

Minns said that Jewish Australians “will never be defined by the actions of the terrorists or the hateful words of small minded people”.

“As we saw on December 14, Jewish Australians are some of the most brave, valiant, best people that we have in our country,” he said. “And I want to promise you tonight that there are millions of people in your corner who love the Jewish community, who hate racism, and who will stand with you in the months, years and decades ahead.”

He also acknowledged “Israel on its 78th birthday” as a “refuge for Jews fleeing the horror of the Holocaust, a place to live, practice religion and thrive”.

“Whilst no two countries can agree on everything, we can acknowledge its story of resilience and hope, and further it can never be forgotten that in an at times hostile region, it has been a friend of Australia and Australians since its founding in 1948,” he added.

Minns also paid tribute to the “unbelievable, resolute, big hearted leadership” of NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) president David Ossip and the state roof body itself.

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said Yom Ha’atzmaut “marks not only the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 but the fulfilment of a dream carried across generations”.

“A people returning to their homeland rooted in history, identity and the unbreakable spirit of resilience,” she said. “We’ve been reminded of that unbreakable resilience in the Jewish community in recent times, both in our state and around the world, as you have faced horrors that we thought unimaginable in a modern world.”

Sloane made special mention of those present in the room that had given “very brave, powerful”testimony to the Royal Commission.

“I know that’s been challenging for you, but can I say thank you for that. And I know that I’ve spoken to many of you after you’ve given evidence, and you have said that your heart feels lighter, that you’ve been able to share a bit of your burden, and that you carry great hope that it will make a difference.”

In a bipartisan gesture, she backed Minns in saying it is Australia that should change.

“In the conversations even I’ve had in this room tonight, you have expressed your hope, but also a question that’s been asked many times this week, ‘Will it change? Will this make a difference?’ “And I want to say to you, I think you’ve already made a difference this week, because the first time leading our TV news services are empathetic, compassionate stories of the lived Jewish experience,” she said.

Sloane noted that “in just over 78 years, Israel has become a beacon of innovation and creativity, a nation whose contributions in science and technology and agriculture and medicine have felt far beyond its borders.

“We celebrate the culture that continues to thrive, an ancient language revived and spoken with pride, a community bound together by shared purpose and history. And here in New South Wales, the Jewish community has made an extraordinary contribution to our social, cultural and economic life,” she said.

Israeli Ambassador Hillel Newman said it was a perk of his job “to see friends sitting together celebrating the miracle of the State of Israel”.

“It is warming to my heart and the heart of the people of Israel to see such a distinguished gathering here celebrating with us,” he said.

“And I want to tell you that Israel remembers its friends … Israel also expresses its solidarity with Australia, with the Jews of Australia. I was still in Israel when the Bondi attack took place, and I want to tell you that the shock hit the entire state of Israel. It was as if Israelis were killed on the streets of Tel Aviv, the exact same response and the exact same sympathy and solidarity.”

Opening the official proceedings, Ossip noted the threats that surround Israel but said, “Israel chooses to be not the besieged nation, but the startup nation.

“And tonight, as we’ve done for the past seven decades, we pause to give thanks for the miracle that is the existence of the State of Israel. But we should also pause to recognise, to celebrate and to be proud of what Israel has become, and to salute the endurance, resilience and true brilliance of the Israeli people.”

He noted that the evening of celebration was taking place “in the shadow of the Royal Commission, where we’ve heard some pretty harrowing testimony this week, and I pay tribute to all who have given evidence or made submissions.”

Giving a vote of thanks, Zionist Council of NSW president Orna Triguboff acknowledged the representatives present from other national and cultural communities.

“Many of us here tonight carry deep connections to two lands, and rather than feeling torn between them, we can feel supported and richer by our varied loyalties. We are infused by and contribute to both cultures and lands,” she said.

“Whatever we are, Indian, Israeli or Iranian, we can feel the power of belonging to more than one place, and there is a strength that comes from honouring all of our roots.”

Noting that Israelis “work towards building a society that offers security and dignity to all those within its borders,” she said, “And here in Australia, we also work towards a similar spirit of integration, mutual respect and shared purpose.”

A highlight of the Sydney communal calendar, the yearly event was organised by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies in partnership with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Zionist Council of NSW and Zionist Federation of Australia.