A mass shooting at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach has come against the backdrop of a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents across Australia since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack 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 Oct. 7 — a rate roughly five times higher than in the decade before. Reported incidents ranged from anti-Israel graffiti to the firebombing and destruction of a Melbourne synagogue and attacks on Jewish businesses.
While several countries have reported rises in antisemitic incidents, Australia’s spike has been pronounced enough to draw international attention. Jewish leaders from around the world convened in Sydney this month to highlight the trend and call for stronger protections.
“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. She warned that attacks on Jews and on Jewish institutions in cities such as New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Buenos Aires and Toronto reflect a broader threat to both Jewish safety and democratic stability.
Australia’s government has publicly accused Iran of orchestrating arson attacks last year on a Melbourne synagogue and on a kosher food business in Sydney.
Authorities said that on Sunday two gunmen, identified as a father and son, opened fire at the Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens more. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as antisemitic terrorism, calling it “a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith.” He pledged a national response to ensure Jewish Australians are embraced and protected.
The attack prompted heightened security at Hanukkah and Jewish community events in major cities around the world. Australia’s Jewish community numbers about 117,000 people, fewer than 0.5% of the national population, and leaders have urged a coordinated public safety and social response.
In 2024 the government appointed a special envoy to combat antisemitism and rolled out a multi-pronged plan addressing university campuses and media. The strategy drew criticism from some who feared it might blur legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy with antisemitism. A commentary from the University of New South Wales’ Australian Human Rights Institute acknowledged the worrying rise in incidents while cautioning that not all criticism of Israel stems from anti-Jewish prejudice.
Earlier, in September, Australia joined Canada and the United Kingdom in recognizing the state of Palestine as part of efforts to reinvigorate a two-state solution. In the wake of the Bondi shooting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Australia’s recognition “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire,” linking the diplomatic move to tensions affecting Jewish communities.
Community leaders and officials are calling for both immediate security measures and long-term strategies to counter hatred and protect pluralism. The Bondi attack has intensified debates in Australia about how best to address rising antisemitism while preserving free expression and political debate.