Bonding In Bondi
An outpouring of love and solidarity in the wake of terror
It only took two men — a father and son, in this case — to wreak havoc, sow fear, and viciously destroy so many lives on a beach in Australia. Their attack was terrorism: they deliberately targeted civilians out of religious and political hatred. And it was antisemitic, because they targeted Jews. When events like this occur, I believe it’s crucial to look beyond the trauma and examine how society and government choose to respond.
While the Australian government may have been negligent in dealing with the rising threat of antisemitism, its initial response was strong. There’s already discussion of stricter gun control and a gun buyback program. Prime Minister Albanese has apologized (something Israel’s leadership could learn from!), has promised to investigate the security lapses, and is considering limits on inciteful speech such as “globalize the intifada.” Many Jewish Australians feel it’s too little, too late. Time will tell.
On societal level, the heroes who stood up that day and the outpouring of grief and solidarity from the broader Australian public has been incredible. I went down a rabbit hole watching endless videos of vigils, moments of silence, “paddle-outs”, candle lightings, the placing of so many flowers and more. (I’m sharing some after the article.)
The knee-jerk reaction of many in the wake of such attacks is to see it as a harbinger of the darkest times of Jewish history and encourage people to move “home” to Israel where it’s safe. There are many good reasons to make Aliyah, but safety, empirically speaking, is not one of them. Additionally, the fact that the Australian government and society at large are standing alongside the Jewish community is greatly at odds with epochs when Jews were persecuted by both the authorities and their neighbors.
The goal of terrorism is to divide people and spread hate. When we retreat into our tribal caves and let our own extremists define the response, we hand the terrorists a win. But when we push back — despite everything urging us apart — with love, grace, compassion, and simple human decency, we deny these agents of evil the oxygen of hate they so desperately crave.
As far as I’m concerned, in embracing their fellow Jewish citizens, those polite Australians have given ISIS and their despicable ilk a huge middle finger.
Swimmers and surfers paddle out at Bondi beach to honor attack victims
Vigil attendees sing an emotional Waltzing Matilda in memory of the youngest victim, 10-year old Matilda
Surf lifesavers show powerful display of strength on Bondi Beach
The Heroes of Bondi
A poem
