Concert for Bondi victims canceled over presence of Jewish choir

A charity concert benefitting the victims of an antisemitic terror attack unraveled after “political objections” to a Jewish choir surfaced.

By World Israel News Staff

A benefit concert intended to raise funds for victims of the deadliest antisemitic shooting in Australian history was canceled after one choir refused to participate due to the presence of a Jewish group.

The choral recital, titled “Concert for Hope and Unity,” had been organized to honor victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack. However, the event was abruptly scrapped after members of the Australian Hellenic Choir objected to performing alongside the Sydney Jewish Choral Society.

According to a report by The Australian, members of the Hellenic Choir — drawn largely from Sydney’s Greek community — held a vote in which a majority said they “politically objected” to sharing the stage with the Jewish choir. Some participants also expressed concerns that the concert could become a target for terrorism.

Following the vote, organizers canceled the concert, which had been scheduled for June 28.

“The result is, like many other Jews in the arts since October 7, 2023, we have been canceled,” Anne Spira, chairwoman of the Sydney Jewish Choral Society, told The Australian. “We have been de-platformed, and it is deeply upsetting for us and for the broader Jewish community, which has faced sustained anti-Jewish racism in this country for two and a half years.”

Australian Hellenic Choir President James Tsolakis said he was taken aback by the opposition within his group.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of people in the community blaming the Jewish community for what’s happening in Israel and Palestine,” he told The Australian. “There’s a degree of antisemitism in the Greek community; I didn’t realize the extent of it.”

Since the October 7, 2023, massacre, Australia’s Jewish community has experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents.

In December 2025, a father-and-son pair of terrorists who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State opened fire on a Hanukkah candle-lighting event in Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed in the attack. One of the gunmen, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police, while his son, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, was taken into custody.