"Following yet another deadly attack on Jewish communities worldwide, anger is understandable—and justified. Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust, explains why."
Heaton Park, Boulder, Washington DC—and now Bondi Beach. Add the murders of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the UAE and Ziv Kipper, an Israeli-Canadian businessman, in Egypt, and Jews have been killed on five continents since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack reshaped the Middle East and unleashed a wave of antisemitism worldwide. Anti-Jewish terrorism is no longer a local or regional problem—it is global, driven by an ideology of hatred that knows no borders.
The death toll in Sydney is horrifying: 15 people killed, including a child, with many more injured. Mobile phone footage showing two gunmen calmly targeting families at a Hanukkah celebration is chilling. It takes a profound dehumanisation—and an ideology of self-righteous hatred—to commit such acts.
The randomness of these attacks deepens the terror. Spaces once considered safe corners of the Jewish world are now on the frontline. In Manchester, Yom Kippur was targeted; in Sydney, Hanukkah. Today, for Jews everywhere, deciding whether to celebrate festivals outside their own homes may be a matter of life and death.
No one should have to live under this threat. More broadly, societies cannot endure if such violence becomes normal. The very foundation of liberal democracy—the belief in shared values across diverse communities—is at risk.
While we are still uncovering the motivations of the Bondi attackers, the evidence points to Islamist extremism, echoing Manchester. And there is little doubt that these attacks will continue.
Some treat terrorism as a natural disaster: senseless, random, inexplicable. But it does not appear from nowhere. Terrorism is the most violent expression of a set of beliefs held more widely than by those who wield knives or guns.
In the case of antisemitic terror, ideas that justify murder are normalised through public discourse. Over the past two years, parts of the anti-Israel movement have marched through our streets and universities, amplifying violent rhetoric. Violent words can—and often do—lead to violent acts, especially when unchecked.
In Birmingham, a pro-Palestine march displayed a banner reading “One Solution: Intifada Revolution,” complete with the upside-down red triangle symbol associated with Hamas’ military wing. Similarly, Elias Rodriguez, who killed Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside the Jewish Museum in Washington DC, was reported to have shouted the same phrase. Meanwhile, rapper Bobby Vylan’s chants calling for the death of the IDF have been celebrated in public forums, turning violent rhetoric into mainstream recognition.
Is there a link between celebrating calls for death in the name of Palestinian rights and committing murder in that name? The connection seems clear.
This is not to say that all pro-Palestinian activists support antisemitic violence. But a political culture has been cultivated where such violence is conceivable and, at times, enacted. Shooting Jews at a Hanukkah celebration is its most extreme expression. But the underlying sentiment is echoed in incidents like “Free Palestine” graffiti scrawled on a Hanukkah menorah in North London. Such acts do nothing to advance Palestinian freedom; they serve the antisemites’ agenda.
As a result, Jews around the world are grieving once more. Many will attend Hanukkah events in even greater numbers, demonstrating resilience and solidarity. Yet beneath that defiance lies a pressing question: will it ever be safe for our children? The Bondi massacre shows that, even in the most distant corners of the world, there is no refuge.
This is a global antisemitism emergency, born of years of complacency and ignored warnings. Alongside grief and resilience, Jews are angry—and they have every right to be.
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