Less than 48 hours after the deadly terror attack during a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, The Jewish Agency for Israel, together with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, deployed an expert delegation from Israel to support the Jewish community and assist in immediate recovery and resilience-building efforts.
The delegation was dispatched as part of JReady, the joint emergency preparedness and community resilience platform of The Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. The team arrived in Sydney on Tuesday, December 15, and began field operations immediately.
The delegation includes leading Israeli experts in trauma response, mass-casualty events, and community recovery, with extensive experience supporting communities following extreme incidents and in developing long-term resilience strategies. Members include Prof. Moshe Farchi, a world-renowned trauma expert and developer of the Six Cs Model for Psychological First Aid; Ayelet Shmuel, Director of the International Resilience Center in Sderot; along with additional specialists from the International Center for Functional Resilience, the Israel Trauma Coalition, and One Family.
Led by Sara Ribner-Grabin, The Jewish Agency’s representative in Australia and New Zealand, the delegation is working closely with local Jewish leadership and emergency authorities to assess immediate needs and coordinate professional responses. The mission is carried out in partnership with the Zionist Federation of Australia, community security organizations, and welfare and education bodies. The Jewish Agency’s support for the Australian Jewish community is provided with support from Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and Keren Hayesod.
In parallel, the JReady platform of The Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has activated emotional support hotlines in collaboration with NATAL - the Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center. The hotlines are available to Israelis currently in Australia and to Australian citizens presently in Israel.
The rapid deployment of the delegation reflects an ongoing partnership between The Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism within the JReady framework. To date, the initiative has operated in more than 50 countries and trained approximately 4,000 community leaders and professionals worldwide.
“On October 7th, during the most difficult moments Israel has ever faced, Jewish communities around the world, including the Jewish community of Australia, stood by our side offering strength, support, and a deep sense of shared destiny with the Jewish people. Today, as the Jewish community in Sydney is targeted in an antisemitic attack, the State of Israel stands with them in the same spirit,” said Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli.
“Mutual responsibility among the Jewish people is not a slogan. It is a shared commitment: Israel's responsibility toward Diaspora communities, and their responsibility toward Israel. My arrival in Sydney as Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism and the deployment of an expert delegation from Israel are a concrete expression of that commitment - to community resilience, to professional support, and to the unbreakable bond between Jews everywhere. No Jewish community stands alone.”
“The attack on the Jewish community in Sydney during Hanukkah is a heart wrenching reminder that antisemitism knows no borders. Our responsibility is to stand with our brothers and sisters wherever they are, not only in words but through immediate action,” said Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel Maj. Gen. (Res.) Doron Almog. “By sending this expert delegation within 48 hours, we are bringing professional support, compassion, and partnership to help the community heal, recover, and emerge stronger. We will not allow anyone to extinguish the enduring light of the Jewish people."
“Five years ago, the Jewish Agency recognized the urgent need to build resilience infrastructure within Jewish communities worldwide. Since the launch of JReady, I have worked together with Yael Raz, Head of Emergency and Resilience at the Jewish Agency, to train hundreds of community leaders and professionals in over 50 communities to better prepare for times of crisis. Even before October 7, we identified antisemitism as the next major global crisis and adapted our training accordingly,” said Ayelet Nahmias Verbin, Chair of JReady.
“In Australia as well, many community members have received training through our programs. Our partnership with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs allowed us to expand our impact. Each expert on our delegation brings deep experience in trauma care and is now helping strengthen the local response systems. Even after the team returns to Israel, JReady will continue to support the community as this is only the beginning of the recovery process,” Nahmias Verbin added.