eJewish Philanthropy: What the Australian response to Bondi reveals about Jewish institutional readiness

February 3, 2026

By Rabbi Amichai Fraiman, eJewish Philanthropy

In the days immediately following the antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach, I flew to Sydney with Rabbi Avi Weiss to show up for the Jewish community in its aftermath. Only hours after arriving, we attended the funerals of Boris and Sofia Gurman z”l, who were killed while trying to fight off the attackers, visited shiva homes and hospitals and met with members of a Jewish community reeling from shock and loss.

That Friday night, at the Great Synagogue, political leaders gathered for a Chanukah event meant to signal solidarity.

Just before Shabbat, Rabbi Weiss approached Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and shared a letter with him from Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) condemning the deadly antisemitic Hanukkah attack, expressing solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community, linking the tragedy to rising global Jew-hatred tied to anti-Israel extremism and urging leaders to meet with Rabbi Weiss to draw on his expertise in confronting antisemitism. The rabbi challenged the prime minister to show up more fully for the Jewish community. The response was respectful but restrained.

On his way out, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns accepted the rabbi’s offer of the priestly blessing. Minns bowed his head and closed his eyes; afterward, he shared that he felt shame that such an attack had occurred on his watch.

At the time, I registered the contrast between the two interactions and logged it as a lesson in leadership. Only later, after days of funerals, hospital visits and conversations across the community, did I understand what else about the moment stayed with me.

This was my first time in Australia, and I do not claim to understand Australian Jewish life beyond the eight days I spent there. What I do know is that moments of crisis have a way of stripping communal life down to essentials.