‘We are unbreakable’: defiance marks Bondi attack commemoration after PM is booed | Bondi beach terror attack

Jewish leaders have called for a federal royal commission into the Bondi terror attack after some members of the crowd booed Anthony Albanese when he arrived at the memorial marking a week since 15 people were killed on the first day of Hanukkah.

David Ossip, chairman of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said the need for a federal royal commission was “indisputable” to the loud cheers and applause of a crowd of 15,000 people gathered in Bondi, where a minute’s silence was held at 6.47pm when the attack began.

Ossip’s call was echoed by Daniel Aghion, President of the Executive Council of Australian Jews, who thanked Ossip “for having the courage to say this”.

The prime minister has so far supported the NSW royal commission proposed by the state’s premier Chris Minns but has resisted calls for a national commission.

Ossip lavished praise on Minns and NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane in his introductory speech, again to great applause. Some members of the crowd booed when he greeted Albanese, who was sitting in the front.

Albanese was greeted with boos by the same members of the crowd when he arrived at the event. Just minutes after his arrival, former prime minister John Howard followed suit to take his seat. His arrival was greeted with applause.

In his speech, Ossip acknowledged the “incredible courage” of Ahmed Al Ahmed: He was injured after disarming one of Bondi’s alleged gunmen during Sunday’s massacre.

He said Australian Jews had “landed in a dark place” but that “light can wash away even the gloomiest places”.

“Until two years ago, Australia was always a lucky country for Jews. But unfortunately it is no longer so. We lost our innocence. Last week we took our innocence. And just as the grass at Bondi was stained with blood, so is our nation stained.

But he said: “One act of courage, one single flame of hope, can direct us and show us the way forward… And that is what we have seen this week. Despite the incalculable tragedy that has befallen us, we have seen incredible manifestations of light.”

Describing Sloane as a hero, Ossip said: “I want everyone to know that Kellie chose to go to Bondi beach last week in the middle of the attack to where it happened and she helped those who were injured and provided shelter to those in need.”

In his speech, Sloane described his experience trying to help injured people at a Hanukkah event a week ago.

Ossip ended on a note of defiance.

“If you haven’t noticed yet, the terrorist chose the wrong community to infect because we, the Jewish people, are unbreakable. Resistance is in our veins!”

Alex Ryvchin, co-chairman of the Executive Council of Australian Jews, said he has attended the Hanukkah celebrations in Bondi every year for the last 10 years, having been chosen by Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who died in the attack.

“And every year I chose to stand there with her and my daughters, first one, then two, and finally all three, with Rabbi Eli by my side as I spoke,” Ryvchin said.

“I didn’t know I was endangering us all. I didn’t know that the purest and most destructive form of evil existed among us.”

Ryvchin said he would return next year “even though we have permanently lost our way of life as Jews in this country.” [and] “The definitive end to our carefree days of gathering with friends and family to turn on the lights here and celebrate life.”

“I am now ready to accept that we will live with uncertainty, even fear. This is a price I will pay.

“But I won’t hide who I am, that I’m Australian and Jewish, because that would be too high a price to pay.

“So, on the first night of Hanukkah next year, I chose to stand again, with my three daughters, on that now sacred ground, turn on the light, and proudly praise God Almighty as an Australian and a Jew, because I know that is exactly what my friend Eli would want.”

Aghion said terrorists will not decide the future.

“We Australians make this decision. We Australians will not be dictated to by anyone, especially those who resort to violence and fear in the name of hatred.

“Our answer to terrorists, their knowing or unknowing accomplices and sympathizers is this. We will not remain silent. We will not hide. We will not live in fear.”

Minns also spoke out, saying the Jewish community “took Bondi beach back for us”.

“This crime was an attempt to marginalize, to disperse, to intimidate, to intimidate, but you have resisted this intimidation for thousands of years.”

He apologized for his government’s failure to protect its citizens.

“I humbly acknowledge that the paramount duty of government is to protect citizens, and we did not do that a week ago. This fact weighs heavily on me. We must accept that responsibility and use it to do anything and everything we can to prevent this from happening again.”

He said the “sad truth” was that the crime “tragically exposed a deep vein of anti-Semitic hatred in our society.”

“It is wrong to excuse this as an aberration or a single tragic event. It will not provide justice for those killed and injured and will not allow us to take steps to prevent this from happening again.”

Albanese, who was also attended by his deputy Richard Marles and home secretary Tony Burke, did not speak at the event.

Other speakers included governor-general Sam Mostyn and young attack survivor Chaya Dadon.

Albanese had asked all Australians to observe a minute’s silence and light a candle at 6.47pm as an act of silent remembrance.

There was a heavy police presence at the vigil, including snipers and rifle-toting police officers on the roofs of surrounding buildings.

NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon said the strong police demonstration did not mean the security alert had been increased, but was meant “to help people feel safe as they come together to grieve”.

A floral memorial to the victims at the Bondi Pavilion will be removed on Monday. The Sydney Jewish Museum and the Australian Jewish Historical Society will assist in the collection and preservation of materials.

Rabbi Yehoram Ulman of Bondi Chabad, one of the final speakers at the vigil, told the crowd: “Returning to normalcy is not enough.

“Sydney can and should be a beacon of kindness. It’s a city where people look out for each other, where kindness is higher than hate, where decency is stronger than fear, and we can make that happen,” he said, pausing for a moment as the crowd applauded.

“But only if we take the emotions we have right now and turn them into action, sustained action.”