Australian inquiry opens public hearings into Bondi Beach shooting

Lead

Australia's federal royal commission – the highest level of government inquiry – has opened public hearings into the December attack on Jewish families at Bondi Beach, as witnesses described a sharp rise in antisemitism that has left many in the community feeling unsafe.

The inquiry, led by retired judge Virginia Bell, is examining the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in Australia as well as the factors leading to the shooting, which killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration. The attack also fueled calls for tougher gun controls and more action to tackle hatred towards Jews, following a spate of antisemitic incidents.

Coverage Comparison

Two news organisations – France 24 (English) and the Jerusalem Post – provided extensive coverage of the hearings' opening. Both reported the core facts: the royal commission's mandate, Bell's opening remarks linking the antisemitism spike to Middle East events, and testimony from Jewish Australians about feeling increasingly vulnerable.

There is broad agreement on the key events: the December attack, the number of victims, the commission's structure (with interim recommendations already released and a final report due in December), and the personal stories of witnesses such as Sheina Gutnick, whose father was killed in the attack. The Jerusalem Post placed greater emphasis on testimony about fear and emigration, while France 24 highlighted the institutional response and the historical context of what the inquiry's counsel called "one of society's oldest hatreds."

Key Claims

Virginia Bell said in her opening remarks that the sharp spike in antisemitism in Australia "has been mirrored in other Western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East." She added: "It's important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility towards Jewish Australians simply because they are Jews."

The inquiry has received thousands of submissions about the impact of antisemitism, according to counsel assisting the inquiry, Zelie Hegen, who referred to it as "one of society's oldest hatreds." Jewish community groups recorded 2,062 antisemitic incidents in the year following October 2023, according to France 24. That period also saw a string of arson and graffiti attacks against synagogues and Jewish businesses in Sydney and Melbourne during the summer of 2024.

Witnesses described specific incidents. A security worker recounted having to escort people to safety from a Melbourne synagogue on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, when a "mob" of around 30 masked people in black appeared. Another witness described flags being burned at the Sydney Opera House as "un-Australian" and expressed disappointment that police had not intervened.

Sheina Gutnick, whose father Reuven Morrison was killed in the Bondi attack, told the inquiry that antisemitism had shifted since the Gaza war began in 2023. "Antisemitism was allowed to come into the open," she said. Her refugee parents had met at Bondi Beach, and she described the attack's aftermath: "Now Bondi holds a really, really heavy weight in our community's heart." France 24 also reported that Gutnick received a pseudonym in some press accounts due to fear of reprisals, and the Jerusalem Post reported that she was called an "effing terrorist" by a stranger for wearing a Star of David necklace.

Alex Ryvchin, whose former family home was firebombed in January 2025 and who sent his children away after death threats, testified that many victims of the Bondi attack were from a tight-knit community of Soviet refugees who were "patriots who loved this country," according to France 24.

The Jerusalem Post carried additional testimony: an unnamed witness said, "My family and I no longer want to live in Australia. We don't feel safe here. We don't feel welcome." Peter Halasz, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor from Hungary, said the current situation is recognizable from the 1930s and 1940s and that recognition is "frightening." Another witness, using the pseudonym "AAM," said her family was relocating to Israel because of safety concerns: "We never expected Jews to be hunted on Bondi Beach." Stefanie Schwartz described holding terrorist drills and requiring an extreme security presence that made her school look "like a prison." Benjamin Elton testified that antisemitism has "run riot," with Jewish Australians being held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

The Jerusalem Post also reported that the inquiry released an interim report last Thursday with 14 recommendations, urging greater security for Jewish public events and further counter-terrorism and gun reforms. A second block of hearings in May will focus on the circumstances leading up to the Bondi Beach attack, and the commission is due to deliver its final report on December 14 – exactly one year after the attack.

Perspectives

The federal royal commission, as represented by Virginia Bell, views the rise in antisemitism as part of a broader Western trend linked to Middle East events. Jewish community members testifying, including those quoted by both France 24 and the Jerusalem Post, express a sense of growing insecurity and, in some cases, a desire to leave Australia.