Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, and Chairman of The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors, Mark Wilf, have sent a strongly worded letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the deadly terrorist attack at the Sydney Jewish community’s Hanukkah celebrations.
In the letter, the leaders of The Jewish Agency called on the government of Australia to act decisively to eradicate antisemitism through education, legislation, and law enforcement. They expressed their deep condolences to the Jewish community in Australia and to the Australian people, emphasizing that their hearts are with the families of the murdered and injured, and with all Australians shaken by this act of hatred.
“This attack did not occur in a vacuum,” they wrote. “Over recent years, Australia has seen a troubling pattern of antisemitic incidents, alongside the normalisation of rhetoric that dehumanises Jews and legitimises violence. Calls to ‘globalize the intifada,’ and the casual use of Nazi comparisons directed at ‘Zionists’ or Jews, are not merely offensive slogans. They create a climate in which violence can be imagined, justified, and then carried out.”
They continued, “Israel has learned, through bitter experience, that extremists test the boundaries of what a society will tolerate. When incitement is excused or minimised, it spreads. The only effective response is early, consistent and unambiguous, combining moral clarity with firm enforcement.”
In their appeal, The Jewish Agency’s leaders called on the Australian government to act immediately on three central fronts: “Strengthening education that confronts antisemitism and all forms of racial and religious hatred; ensuring laws properly address incitement to violence and targeted hate, including online; and resourcing law enforcement to pursue perpetrators and those who encourage or enable them, with visible consequences.”
They further emphasized that alongside the necessary strengthening of security around Jewish institutions, the government’s primary goal “must be more than protection behind fences. It must be the confidence of Jewish Australians that they can live openly as Jews in Australia, without fear.”
Almog and Wilf noted that the Australian government’s response to the Bondi Beach attack “will send a signal far beyond the Jewish community. It will show every minority whether this country will protect them when hate turns to violence.” In conclusion, they pledged that “The Jewish Agency stands ready to assist in any way that is helpful, including supporting affected families and strengthening community resilience.”