Sydney's synagogue leaders give evidence on antisemitism to Royal Commission following Bondi attack

Foster noted "warning signs that Holocaust survivors, and indeed the Jewish community, recognize because they have seen where such patterns can lead if they're left unchallenged."Follow us on GooglePEOPLE ATTEND a vigil organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism and Chabad UK to honour victims of the Bondi attack in Sydney and mark the second night of Hanukkah, in London, Britain, December 15, 2025.(photo credit: REUTERS/Isabel Infantes)ByESTHER DAVISJULY 21, 2026 06:48Updated: JULY 21, 2026 06:59Synagogue and Jewish school leaders are giving evidence to the Royal Commission on Tuesday about antisemitism and social cohesion, voicing concerns about the future of Australia's Jewish population. The commission was formed in response to the Bondi terrorist attack on a Chabad Hanukkah event that left 15 dead and another 40 injured. Rabbi Wolff, the rabbi for Sydney's Central Synagogue in Bondi Junction, explained to the committee that Australia requires "three complementary pillars: security, legislation and education," ABC Australia reported. "We need all three, but only education really addresses the problem before it begins," Wolff said. "Education should encompass how Jews live, not only how Jews died."Dr. George Foster, a member of the South Sydney Synagogue, told the commission that he does not believe Australia is becoming "another Germany", saying its institutions are protecting it, ABC Australia reported.However, Foster warned of "disturbing parallels in the social atmosphere," noting "warning signs that Holocaust survivors, and indeed the Jewish community, recognize because they have seen where such patterns can lead if they're left unchallenged."Two people embrace as police officers stand guard outside Bondi Pavilion following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 15, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone)Australian Jews say they are 'fearful'Tyson Wodak, the president of Bialik College, an independent Jewish school in Melbourne, spoke to the commission next, ABC reported. Wodak explained the impact of increased security at the school on the welfare of pupils, including his own children."I worry a lot, I fear a lot both as a parent and in my institutional role, about the impact of constant security," he told the royal commission. "My kids have spent their whole life under security."He added that he is worried about how his children's idea of Australia and their position in the country will be affected by the security.Melbourne Jewish school employs counterterrorism expert for securityMr Sztrajt, the principal of Mount Scopus, another Jewish school in Melbourne, also spoke to the royal commission, ABC reported.He explained that "being probably the most prominent Jewish school or the most well-known Jewish school in the state, that comes with it … being a target."Sztrajt explained that the school employs a counterterrorism expert to handle security following a series of antisemitic events targeting the school in recent years.In 2015, the school changed from unarmed to armed security guards, following antisemitic attacks overseas. In 2025 they appointed a full-time security manager with a background in counterterrorism, Sztrajt told the commission.He added that "It pains me tremendously to think of the horrendous opportunity cost that the security focus takes away from our school."This is a developing story.Follow us on Google