The Port Arthur massacre in 1996 changed Australia. The actions taken in the immediate aftermath saved lives, and arguably may have prevented a culture of school shootings in the United States from being exported here.
Australia must see the Sunday evening horror act of evil antisemitism in Bondi as another pivotal moment of action and change.
There is a reckoning to be had on the accessibility of guns, with one of the gunmen holding a firearms licence. But more so, there is a reckoning to be had on ending the division and hate that fuelled Sunday’s attack.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as an “act of antisemitic evil”, as police said on Sunday night the Jewish community was intentionally targeted.
Terrorism is designed to divide a society, to intimidate and generate attention. Its success exists in the fear it instils. Fear that hopes to undermine the ways of life and connection and of expressing culture and shared histories, that the terrorists ultimately hate.
We must stand up for communities waking up in more fear than others in Australia, especially the 100,000 or so members of the broader Jewish community. This is a community already bearing the brunt of hate-fuelled violence and antisemitic attacks, and one that already has to take additional security precautions for gathering, due to an ever-present, always-on threat. A community that should have been continuing Hanukkah celebrations late into Sunday and for the full eight days and eight nights.
This time of shock will soon shift into mourning, then of reckoning, and then an opportunity for all of us to be part of something better, where we embrace and support one another despite our differences. Every individual has the right to feel safe with their family and friends through the celebrations they cherish, without ever wondering what kind of hate could soon usurp their joy.
We must share the pain of everyone impacted.
We know at least 16 people were killed in the attack, including one of the gunmen.
One of the victims was Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman. It’s hard to comprehend how this extraordinary history of survival, love and resilience could be ended so abruptly and unnecessarily on one of the world’s most iconic beaches. Alex was originally from Ukraine and was celebrating Hanukkah with his wife, whom he reportedly shielded from bullets. Last night, she was searching hospitals to find where his body had been taken.
Another named victim is French national Dan Elkayam, who had been living in Australia for several years, working as an IT analyst and posting photos on social media of Sydney’s beaches.
Another is 41-year-old Eli Schlanger, as assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi. He was a father of five, including a baby boy. Last year, he shared on social media that dancing with joy was the best way to fight antisemitism.
A ten-year-old girl is believed to be the youngest among the dead.
We will continue to learn the names and stories of more victims in the coming days. Each with a history, with family and friends, hopes and dreams and stories that were senselessly cut short.
We must also acknowledge how this event impacts other communities, including the Muslim community, with the Australian National Imams Council declaring it stands with the Australian Jewish community and that “we will defy the division sought by those who seek to divide us.
We know that a hero bystander likely prevented far more fatalities. 43-year-old father of two, Ahmed el Ahmed, a Muslim man is one of 40 people in hospital.
We know many people like Ahmed risked their lives to prevent more people from being killed, and countless more supported others to escape and got on the ground to help the wounded, using whatever they had available – clothing for bandages and even surfboards as stretchers.
We know it didn’t take long to search for countless heroes during a day of pure evil inflicted by cowardly gunmen.
In the hurt today and in the search for a sustained unity, there’s a semblance of hope in the everyday Australians who became extraordinary in their support of strangers.
If you need to speak to someone you can reach Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.