Australia Ignored Anti-Jewish Incidents, Repeated Warnings: Israeli Leaders After Sydney Shooting

Last Updated:December 14, 2025, 16:47 IST

Sydney Shooting: Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the attack "vile" and expressed solidarity with the victims

A picture of one of the Bondi beach attackers (right) reposted by Sharren Haskel on X.

While Israel condemned the shooting at the Hanukkah celebrations in Sydney, in which at least 12 people were killed and 29 injured, as “the most devastating terrorist attack ever against Jews in Australia", the leaders maintained that it was “inevitable given the rise in anti-Jewish incidents in the country".

According to Australian reports, two gunmen opened fire on a menorah-lighting celebration at Sydney’s popular Bondi Beach on Sunday, which was attended by around 2,000 people.

Numberspeak

The Executive Council of Australia Jewry (ECAJ) said there were 1,654 reports of anti-Jewish incidents recorded by the community in the 12 months to October 1, ABC News reported. The incidents were logged by volunteer Community Security Groups, official Jewish state roof bodies, and the ECAJ.

The council’s chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, said it was a near-record number of incidents — second only to the 2,062 incidents recorded the previous year. “The Australian Jewish community, statistically and experientially, has faced the sharpest decline in our physical security of any Jewish community anywhere in the world," he said, according to the report.

But they also included the firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue in December 2024, which was later ruled to be a terrorist act, as well as a spate of arson and graffiti attacks targeting Sydney’s Jewish community.

Ryvchin said the data showed antisemitism remained at “deeply troubling levels" in Australia."But we’re talking about instances of school kids being abused and called the most repugnant, horrific things in the streets. We’re talking about people being physically assaulted, we’re talking about Holocaust survivors waking up to see Jewish institutions daubed in Swastikas. Every one of those incidents affects someone materially in a profound way — it affects their sense of self, their sense of belonging in Australian society."

According to the report, a group of teenage boys was verbally abused by several people at Melbourne’s St Kilda Beach, with one woman throwing on ice-cream at them and calling them “baby killers", while another person shouted “Hitler should have gassed you all".

Leaders shocked

Speaking at a ceremony honouring immigrant contributions to Israel, President Isaac Herzog called the attack “vile". “At these very moments, our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Chanukah on Bondi Beach," Herzog said. “Our hearts go out to them. The heart of the entire nation of Israel misses a beat at this very moment. As we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them and we pray for those who lost their lives. We send our warmest strength from Jerusalem."

Herzog also urged the Australian government to act against rising antisemitism, warning of “the enormous wave of antisemitism which is plaguing Australian society".

Amichai Chikli, Israel Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism, in a post on X, wrote: “Over the past hour, I have held a series of conversations with leaders of the Jewish community in Australia, following the most severe and devastating terrorist attack ever carried out against the Jewish community in the country. Dozens were harmed – both killed and wounded. On behalf of the State of Israel, I extend my deepest condolences to the families of those murdered, and wish a full and speedy recovery to the many injured."

Chikli said, “A government that normalized boycotts against Jews solely because they are Jewish, normalized marches in which flags of Al-Qaeda, the PLO, and Hamas were openly displayed, and for two years failed to act decisively against serious antisemitic incidents, bears full responsibility for the horrific scenes we witnessed today."

He added that Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and the Fight Against Antisemitism is fully prepared and has offered its “full support and assistance to the Jewish community in Australia during these difficult hours".

Sharren Haskel, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, called it an abomination.

“This terror attack in Sydney is an abomination. Many Jews are dead or injured. How many times did I warn Australian governments that a mass casualty terror attack is inevitable if the government didn’t do more?" he wrote on X.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the attack “murderous" and linked it to years of antisemitic incitement in Australia. “These are the results of the anti-Semitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the anti-Semitic and inciting calls of ‘Globalise the Intifada’ that were realized today," Sa’ar tweeted. He added that the Australian government, “which received countless warning signs, must come to its senses."

Energy Minister Eli Cohen extended condolences and underscored the need to fight antisemitism worldwide. “We stand with the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia, in its difficult times, sending condolences to the murdered and praying for the recovery of the wounded," Cohen said.

“Sadly, antisemitism in the world is raising its head, gaining backing from weak leaders who succumb to terror and collaborate with false campaigns against Israel. We must fight antisemitism with an iron fist and by all means," he said.

With ANI Inputs

News world Australia Ignored Anti-Jewish Incidents, Repeated Warnings: Israeli Leaders After Sydney Shooting

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