In the shadow of a horrific terror attack, Sydney's Jewish community is navigating a profound tension between the instinct to protect itself and a fierce determination to remain proudly visible. The shooting at a Hanukah celebration on Bondi beach on Sunday, which claimed 15 lives, has forced a painful reckoning with safety, while also galvanising a powerful sense of defiance.
A Community Torn Between Grief and Pride
This dichotomy was laid bare in two starkly different events this week. At the funeral of victim Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Rabbi Ritchie Moss urged mourners to honour his memory by being "so much more Jewish, more proud, more loving." Conversely, a beloved Jewish bakery in inner-city Sydney announced its permanent closure, its owners stating that it was no longer possible to keep "outwardly, publicly, proudly Jewish places" safe in Australia.
Rabbi Alon Meltzer of Bondi Mizrachi synagogue, who attended Schlanger's funeral, embodies this struggle. Speaking to his 13-year-old daughter Daliah afterwards, he emphasised that their most important task was to "never give up our Judaism and to ensure that we stay proud forever." He has been heartened to see people at the Bondi beach vigils wearing kippahs and singing together, a public affirmation of faith amidst the grief.
Yet, as the director of programs at the Jewish not-for-profit Shalom Collective, Meltzer is now urgently re-evaluating security for future events, from small gatherings to a 4,000-person food festival. "The reality is that this [attack] could have been [at] any one of our events," he said, a chilling thought he had never previously entertained.
A Rising Tide of Fear and Isolation
For many, Sunday's atrocity did not occur in a vacuum but was the peak of a rising wave of antisemitism. Judy Gaspar, 78, who came to Australia 60 years ago with her Holocaust survivor parents, says the community has been living in fear for two years. Her grandchildren were too afraid to attend the University of Melbourne during pro-Palestinian encampments, and she knows elderly Jews who are now scared to leave their homes.
"The only thing we want from the government is not to be hated," Gaspar stated. "The hate should be stopped." This sentiment is echoed by young people like Daliah Meltzer, for whom receiving antisemitic comments in the street, especially when dressed for Shabbat or in her Jewish school uniform, has become commonplace.
The attack struck terrifyingly close to home for Daliah. A friend was shot, and the father of a classmate was killed. "I don't understand how we're going to be able to go back to school and everything is going to be normal," she confessed. Yet, visiting the sea of floral tributes at Bondi Pavilion has been overwhelming. "It's crazy to see how many flowers are there considering that none of these are put down by Jews," she observed, moved by the show of broader public support.
Defiance in the Face of Adversity
This complex reality is summed up by Shoshana, a 30-year-old Jewish writer who asked not to use her full name due to the "constant, unchallenged" antisemitic trolling she receives online. She notes that vigilance has always been part of her experience as an Australian Jew, recalling an incident when she was five and men harassed her father for wearing a kippah at a Bondi Road service station.
"Jewish people feel ally-less," Shoshana said, describing the profound isolation many feel. However, in the aftermath of the Bondi attack, she is witnessing a defiant response. Some community members are taking on more religious commandments, wearing Star of David necklaces more prominently, or embracing Shabbat more fully. "People want to reaffirm their identity, to feel proudly and defiantly Jewish in the face of adversity," she explained.
This resilience is the community's guiding light. As Shoshana concluded, Jewish leaders are reminding people that "even in the darkest moments of our history, our Jewishness – our faith, our culture, our values, our unity – guided us through to the other side. Our community is in pain together but it will also heal together."
