Today marks two months since the shocking attack by a father and son on those attending a Hanukkah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach.
On the evening of December 14 last year, Sajid and Naveed Akram opened fire on a large crowd of Jewish people marking the start of Hanukkah. They killed 15 people and wounded dozens before police shot and killed Sajid, and shot and captured Naveed, who has since been charged with murder.
For the families of the dead and injured, that awful day marked the start of what will be a long period of grief. They are left behind to process overwhelming emotions: disbelief, loss, sorrow, anger – and hopefully, finally, acceptance and hope.
As part of that journey, and to remember those who died as people, not statistics, the Herald has chosen today – two months to the day – to publish a tribute to each of the fallen.
We have spoken to dozens of devastated family members and what has emerged is a beautiful, moving and positive tribute to those they loved.
There are so many tender details about the personalities and passions of those who died. There’s Boris Tetleroyd’s love of singing; rabbi Eli Schlenger joyfully playing with his grandkids; Rabbi Yaakov Levitan helping neighbours with their internet woes; Marika Pogany delivering meals on wheels; and Adam Smyth cycling beside his son to help with his paper delivery round.
One of the common themes that emerges from the families is their desire for their loved ones to be remembered as who they were when they lived, not for how they died. They were fathers, mothers, grandparents, friends, members of the community who volunteered, ran businesses.
The family of Edith Brutman summed up this sentiment with this powerful quote: “Our family mourns her deeply, but we ask that her life, not the senseless violence that took it, be what endures. We hope her memory calls us as a nation back to decency, courage, and peace.”
Of course, while our tribute piece is focused on the humans at the centre of this massacre, we can’t ignore the political and social fallout of the Bondi attack.
After weeks of agitation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese bowed to public pressure, including from the Herald, and agreed to hold a Commonwealth royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion.
There seemed to be precious little social cohesion in Sydney this week when Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia to comfort the Jewish community was marred by a violent protest on Monday that has led to days of questioning about the actions of the NSW Police and the Minns government’s anti-protest laws rushed through following the Bondi attack.
On Friday morning, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission announced it would examine alleged misconduct by the police and report back to parliament.
There is a need for balance in all of this. While a small core of radical protesters cannot be allowed to hold the city to ransom and stir up antisemitism that puts the Jewish community at risk, there also needs to be room for criticism of the actions of the Israeli government and its leaders over its actions in Gaza. Police are doing a difficult job, but they must be held accountable for their actions and behaviour. Perhaps the least helpful suggestion this week came from Tony Abbott, who suggested police be armed with tear gas and rubber bullets. This is ludicrous.
The best way to build social cohesion is to focus on the things that unite us – decency, empathy, compassion – and not on the things that divide us.
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