December 18, 2025
The Australian Jewish community, one of the oldest and largest outside Europe and the Americas, is facing an unprecedented surge in antisemitism. The December 14, 2025, Hanukkah terror attack at Bondi Beach—targeting a public Jewish celebration—underscores the urgent need for government action to protect this community and confront both domestic and foreign-driven antisemitism.
Who are Australian Jews?
The Australian Jewish community traces its roots back to 1788, making it one of the oldest continuous Jewish communities in the world outside Europe and the Americas. Today, Australia is home to around 115,000-120,000 Jews, making it the 9th-largest Jewish community globally as well as the largest in the Indo-Pacific region.
Jews make up roughly 0.4–1% of Australia’s population and are concentrated primarily in Melbourne and Sydney. The community is notably traditional: about 50% identify as traditional, Modern Orthodox, or Orthodox. Australia also has the highest number of Holocaust survivors per capita outside of Israel.
What Happened in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah Terror Attack?
On December 14, 2025, an antisemitic terrorist mass shooting occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney during a public Jewish celebration marking the first night of Hanukkah. The attack took place at a Chabad-organized event attended by over a thousand community members, families, and visitors. Australian authorities have described it as a deliberate antisemitic terrorist act targeting the Jewish community.
The attack was carried out by Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid, 50. The son was investigated in 2019 over ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State terror group but was cleared after six months, officials said. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Blanese said that the attack was “motivated by Islamic State ideology.” Homemade Islamic State flags were found, along with an improvised explosive device, in the suspect's vehicle.
According to videos, eye-witness accounts, and news reports, the two terrorists opened fire on the crowd from a nearby elevated position. The incident left at least 15 people dead, including community members of all ages, a Holocaust survivor, and two rabbis, and dozens injured, including police officers. One of the attackers was killed by police at the scene, and the second was taken into custody in critical condition. Investigators also found and rendered safe improvised explosive devices.
Australian leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, condemned the attack as an “act of evil antisemitism” and affirmed Australia’s commitment to stand with its Jewish community. Vigils, support efforts, and expressions of national solidarity followed as the nation mourned the victims.
This incident is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years and has intensified concern about antisemitism’s real-world consequences.
The attack in Sydney’s Bondi Beach—targeting Jews far from the Middle East—was widely viewed as an embodiment of that call: the physical manifestation of a globalized intifada, in which Jewish people are treated as legitimate targets simply for who they are. In this framing, Bondi was not an isolated act, but part of a broader pattern in which radical rhetoric fuels and normalizes real-world antisemitic violence across the diaspora.
Why is Antisemitism in Australia Such a Central Issue Right Now?
Antisemitism in Australia has surged dramatically since the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel. According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Australia’s main representative body for the Jewish community, more than 2,000 anti-Jewish incidents were recorded between October 2023 and September 2024—an increase of 316% over the prior year, not including online abuse.
Incidents have included:
- Antisemitic chants at protests immediately following Hamas’ October 7 attack
- Arson attacks on synagogues, a childcare center, and Jewish-owned businesses
- Widespread graffiti targeting Jewish schools and institutions
- A mass doxxing incident exposing over 600 Jewish creatives and academics
According to a survey conducted by the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A), in 2024, over 60% of Australian Jewish students who experienced antisemitism felt unsupported by their institutions.
How is Australia Combating Antisemitism?
Especially following the Bondi attack, there is a feeling that the government has not done enough to address surging antisemitism. Here is what the government has done so far:
- Australia formally adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism in 2021 and joined the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism in 2024.
- Launched Special Operation Avalight, a federal task force addressing antisemitic violence.
- Passing privacy reforms and stronger hate crime laws, including mandatory minimum sentences for terror offenses.
- Grant for security funding
- Appointing a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism and requiring universities to adopt an IHRA-based definition of antisemitism.
- Identifying multiple attacks—including synagogue arson—as directed by Iran’s IRGC, leading to a historic expulsion of Iran’s ambassador.
What Has Been the Criticism of the Australian Government?
The Jewish community and international observers, including AJC, have strongly criticized the Australian government for its failure to address rising antisemitism.
In September, AJC CEO Ted Deutch and Asia Pacific Institute Director Shira Loewenberg visited Australia, warning government officials and law enforcement that failure to act against antisemitism could lead to further violence. They emphasized that the community was at risk and that Australia’s reputation in the U.S. and worldwide was at stake.
Before the Bondi Beach attack, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal warned that the government’s response to rising antisemitism was inadequate, citing incidents from Sydney Opera House protests to Harbour Bridge rallies with extremist imagery, and urged full implementation of her antisemitism plan, released in July 2025.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and coalition members criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to curb rising antisemitism, citing graffiti, arson, and campus harassment as examples of inaction. They called on Parliament to urgently pass stronger antisemitism legislation.
In August 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Albanese that Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire,” increasing threats to the Jewish community, and urged decisive action before the problem escalates further.
How is AJC Advocating for Australia's Jewish Community?
As the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, American Jewish Committee (AJC) is harnessing the full power of our global advocacy network to demand immediate action from world leaders. The Bondi Beach attack is yet another example of why governments must go further than implementing security measures to thwart the surging threat of antisemitism. We are working to ensure they understand this threat and act accordingly.
How Can you Take Action?
Jews around the world must be able to practice their religion safely and securely, and we need American leadership at the forefront of this fight. The State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism plays an integral role in leading efforts to safeguard Jewish communities around the world. Join AJC in calling on the Senate to swiftly confirm Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun as the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
