At Bondi Beach Memorial, Israel’s President Calls on World Leaders To Speak Out Against Antisemitism

Israel’s President met with families of victims of the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney where 15 people were murdered by ISIS inspired terrorists in December last year. President Isaac Herzog visited the site of the terror attack where he laid a wreath on behalf of Israel, calling on leaders across all sectors of society to “speak out clearly and consistently against antisemitism because silence in the face of hatred is complicity.”The terror attack took place on December 14 last year when a father and son targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, shooting indiscriminately at participants. The youngest victim, Mathilda, was 10-years-old and the oldest, 87-year-old Alex Kleytman was a Holocaust survivor. Law enforcement later found an ISIS flag and explosive devices in the perpetrators’ car, who were later identified as Naveed Akram, 24, and Sajid Akram, 50. Mr. Herzog, who was joined by Jewish community leaders at the ceremony, laid two stones from Jerusalem at the memorial site. “In Jewish tradition, we place stones on graves to represent the endurance of memory, the weight of loss, and the unbreakable bond between the living and those we have lost,” he said.“This very beach, beloved by the Australian people, and symbolic of all that’s great about this beautiful nation, became the scene of the deadliest terror attack in Australia’s history. Fifteen innocent souls, who gathered to celebrate Chanukah, the festival of light, were massacred in cold blood by two Islamist terrorists,” Mr. Herzog said. “This very beach, beloved by the Australian people, and symbolic of all that’s great about this beautiful nation, became the scene of the deadliest terror attack in Australia’s history.“Fifteen innocent souls, who gathered to celebrate Chanukah, the festival of light, were massacred in cold blood by two Islamist terrorists.Mr. Herzog is due to meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during his visit to Australia, saying he welcomes the “positive steps already taken by the Australian government to tackle antisemitism since the Bondi attack.”“These vile terrorists specifically and deliberately targeted our dear sisters and brothers, Australian Jews. Yet, this was also an attack on all Australians. They attacked the values that our democracies treasure: the sanctity of human life, freedom of religion, tolerance, dignity, and respect,” he said. “Antisemitism here in Australia is not a Jewish problem – it is an Australian problem and a global problem. Over the generations, one thing has become clear: hatred that starts with the Jews, never ends with the Jews. This is why the current rise in antisemitism around the world is a global emergency—and we must all act to fight against it,” Mr. Herzog added.The Jewish community in Australia has been in uproar since the attack, accusing the government of failing to protect them despite repeated warnings about the rise in antisemitism. Israeli leaders also lashed out at Mr. Albanese’s government in the wake of the attack, with Prime Minister Netanyahu saying the Australian Prime Minister had “replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement. Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia.”“You did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing inside your country. You took no action. You let the disease spread and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today,” Mr. Netanyahu said on the day of the attack.

At Bondi Beach Memorial, Israel’s President Calls on World Leaders To Speak Out Against Antisemitism

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