A mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach came amid a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents across Australia since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry recorded more than 3,700 anti-Jewish incidents in the two years after that attack, a pace roughly five times higher than in the decade beforehand. The incidents ranged from anti-Israel graffiti to arson, including the firebombing and destruction of a Melbourne synagogue.
Other countries have also reported rises in antisemitic attacks, though Australia’s spike has been especially pronounced. Jewish leaders from around the world met in Sydney earlier this month to underscore growing concerns.
“What is happening in Australia is not an exception; it should be a wake-up call to communities worldwide,” said Marina Rosenberg, senior vice president for international affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, noting that violence and threats against Jews have appeared in cities from New York to Buenos Aires. She warned such trends threaten both Jewish safety and democratic stability.
Australia’s government has accused Iran of orchestrating arson attacks last year on the Melbourne synagogue and a kosher food company in Sydney.
On Sunday, authorities said two gunmen, identified as a father and son, opened fire at the Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as antisemitic terrorism, saying it was a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith.”
Cities worldwide increased security at Hanukkah events following the Bondi attack. Australia’s Jewish community numbers about 117,000—less than 0.5% of the national population. Albanese called for a “moment of national unity” and urged Australians to embrace their Jewish fellow citizens.
In 2024 Australia appointed a special envoy to combat antisemitism and launched a broad campaign targeting universities and media. The resulting plan drew criticism from some quarters for potentially conflating legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. A commentary from the University of New South Wales’ Australian Human Rights Institute acknowledged the troubling rise in anti-Jewish incidents but cautioned that not all criticism of Israel stems from anti-Jewish sentiment.
In September, Australia joined Canada and the United Kingdom in recognizing a Palestinian state, a move intended to advance momentum toward a two-state solution. In response to the Bondi Beach shooting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire.”
