Ahead of the National Day of Mourning, over 60,000 Australians have now signed the Jewish Council’s petition, “We Will Not Be Divided After Bondi,” calling on leaders to reject attempts to weaponise Jewish grief, erode civil liberties, or pit communities against one another in the aftermath of the antisemitic attack at Bondi.
The Jewish Council of Australia’s Jewish supporter base has also risen by over 49% since the Bondi massacre, sending a strong message that Jewish people in Australia don’t want this tragedy to be used to spread racism and hatred.
This comes as the Government’s controversial hate speech laws passed last night after a deal with Liberal MPs.
While the deal removed some of the most contentious provisions, the remaining measures, such as enhanced ministerial powers to deport migrants based on arbitrary decision-making, are an alarming and counter-productive response to the Bondi massacre which risks further inflaming racism.
The rushed passage of these laws comes alongside protest restrictions in NSW which threaten all of our civil liberties and an outstanding invitation from the Prime Minister to the President of Israel, a state which stands accused of the international crime of genocide.
The Jewish Council’s petition urges leaders to adopt measures that genuinely keep communities safe from antisemitism, racism, and violence, including:
- Funding grassroots cross-cultural community initiatives to strengthen understanding and solidarity;
- Cracking down on online hate spread by big tech;
- Fully adopting and funding the Australian Human Rights Commission’s anti-racism framework;
- Fixing failing gun laws;
- Consulting with diverse Jewish voices;
- Protecting the right to peacefully protest and speak out against injustice.
Read the petition in full here: Jewish Council Petition — We Will Not Be Divided After Bondi
Ohad Kozminsky, Executive Committee Member, Jewish Council of Australia:
“One month on, instead of space for mourning and healing, we are watching our grief and anger being turned into a political weapon to demonise Palestinians, Muslims, migrants and the anti-genocide protest movement.”
“Jewish Australians are joining the Jewish Council of Australia in huge numbers because they support justice and safety for all. It had barely been 24 hours before politicians like Pauline Hanson called for changes to immigration in Australia. And instead of calling for unity, the government has now gone ahead and targeted migrants. Our community deserves leadership that keeps everyone safe and refuses to pit one community’s safety against another’s.”
“Jewish safety is not strengthened by rushed political deals or parliamentary chaos. It will be strengthened by calm, consistent measures to combat antisemitism, and by protecting all communities from racism and violence including Muslims, Palestinians, and migrant Australians who are also being unfairly targeted in the wake of this tragedy.”
“Jewish communities are diverse, and safety cannot come from pitting one group against another. Our collective grief should never be used as a political weapon. The real path to safety is democratic, grounded in solidarity, and rooted in shared community.”
For media inquiries or to arrange an interview:
Email: media@jewishcouncil.com.au
SMS: 0493 970 412