Members of Melbourne’s Jewish community are questioning their safety in Australia and are “heavily considering” relocating to Israel following the Bondi Beach massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in the country since the Port Arthur tragedy.
The attack, which claimed the lives of 15 innocent people on Sunday, prompted the cancellation of a local Hanukkah event and the deployment of additional Victoria Police officers to Caulfield and the Glen Eira area, the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community.
Stephen Rose, the son of a Holocaust survivor, described his sense of shock as he attended morning prayers at Caulfield Shule under heavy security.
“Where else are we going to go? Our parents would be turning in their graves,” he said, echoing concerns shared by many descendants of Holocaust survivors who regularly attend the synagogue.
Mr Rose criticised the government, saying, “We are continuously let down. Our kids go to school and there are guards outside.”
Other community members expressed heartbreak over the timing of the attack during Hanukkah, a festival intended to celebrate light and joy. “We are fed up, we are frustrated,” said one congregant, requesting anonymity.
Sidra Kranz Moshinsky and Gideon Kline from the Jewish Museum of Australia described the massacre as a tragic culmination of years of anti-Jewish hate and called on Australians of all faiths to combat anti-Semitism.
Victoria Police confirmed there is no known local threat but deployed extra officers to synagogues, schools, and community halls. A spokesperson said, “Victoria Police joins Australia in expressing its shock and distress at the unfolding events in Bondi this evening. Additional resources are being deployed to reassure the local Jewish community.”
The Community Security Group also announced the cancellation of the Chanukah celebration at Caulfield Racecourse “out of an abundance of caution,” reflecting the heightened sense of fear within Melbourne’s Jewish community.
