Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (Shutterstock)
Roughly 10,000 people gathered at the beachfront memorial, including senior Australian officials, opposition figures, and members of the Jewish community, to honor the 15 people killed in the Dec. 14 attack.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Boos rang out along Bondi Beach on Sunday as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived at a public vigil for victims of the deadly Hanukkah shooting, highlighting deep anger within the Jewish community over what leaders say was a failure to confront rising antisemitism before the attack.
Roughly 10,000 people gathered at the beachfront memorial, including senior Australian officials, opposition figures, and members of the Jewish community, to honor the 15 people killed in the Dec. 14 attack.
Tension surfaced when David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, acknowledged Albanese’s attendance, prompting loud jeers from the crowd.
Addressing mourners, Ossip described the moment as a breaking point for the country. “This has to be the nadir of antisemitism in our country,” he said. “This has to be the moment when light starts to eclipse the darkness.”
The crowd’s reaction shifted sharply when opposition leader Sussan Ley was mentioned, drawing applause from attendees.
Ley has publicly stated that a coalition government under her leadership would overturn Albanese’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
The vigil unfolded against a backdrop of mounting accusations that the Albanese government dismissed repeated warnings about escalating antisemitism in Australia prior to the Bondi Beach attack.
Jewish leaders have argued that official inaction helped create an environment in which violence against Jews became more likely.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been among the most vocal critics. Following the attack, he pointed to a letter he sent Albanese earlier this year after Australia announced its recognition of a Palestinian state, warning at the time that the decision would inflame hostility toward Jews.
“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,” Netanyahu said on the day of the attack.
The Dec. 14 assault, carried out during a Chanukah gathering at Bondi Beach, left dozens wounded in addition to the fatalities.
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