Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like all in this chamber, I rise with a profound sense of grief. On the evening of 14 December, at Bondi Beach, what should have been a beautiful celebration of faith and light was turned into a scene of unimaginable darkness. The Chanukah by the Sea event was the first night of the Festival of Lights. Australians of Jewish faith had gathered to light the first candle of the menorah, a symbol of hope and of the triumph of light over darkness. That sacred moment was shattered by a targeted antisemitic terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 15 innocent people and injured many more.

I want to say their names now: Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Alex Kleytman, Boris and Sofia Gurman, Reuven Morrison, Dan Elkayam, Peter Meagher, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Tibor Weitzen, Marika Pogany, Edith Brutman, Boris Tetleroyd, Adam Smyth, Tania Tretiak and Matilda, just 10 years old, whose parents gave her the most Australian name there was, such was their hope for their lives in this country. May their memory be a blessing. To the families of all 15 victims and the dozens more who were injured: this House and this nation grieve with you, and we stand together against antisemitism and hate.

We must be direct about why this happened. This was not a random act of violence; it was a targeted antisemitic attack on the Jewish community. Antisemitism is abhorrent. It is a poison that has no place in Australia. The Jewish community have helped to build our nation and must always feel safe and welcome here. For a community to be targeted while celebrating a holiday that defines their heritage and their resilience is a strike at the heart of our multicultural society. In this country, the right to gather, to pray and to celebrate one's culture without fear is non-negotiable. When Jewish Australians are targeted, will are diminished. Today we not only give our condolences but stand resolved in the absolute rejection of extremist hatred in all its forms.

I know that many members of the Jewish community here in Canberra had close connections with those who lost their lives or were injured. Again, I give them and their families my condolences and offer my solidarity. A week after the attack, I joined hundreds and hundreds of Canberrans for a vigil here at Parliament House. Rabbi Feldman, the senior rabbi from Chabad ACT, spoke, and I hope he won't mind me reflecting on some of his words. He said that, as a rabbi, he's often asked, 'Where is God?' in an event like this. His response is not to ask, 'Where is God?' but, 'Where is man?' He went on to say that it is amidst the darkness of 14 December that we see God in the way that people responded—in our shared humanity.

We acknowledge the heroes of Bondi. There were civilians like Ahmed al-Ahmed, who risked everything to disarm the attackers; Reuven Morrison and Boris and Sofia Gurman, who lost their lives confronting the terrorists; Jessica Rozen, who found herself separated from her own three-year-old son but sheltered from the gunfire a little girl also separated from her family; and many others who shielded strangers. There were the police officers who ran towards danger to protect the community and were injured in the process; the lifeguards who sprung into action, providing first aid while the shooting was ongoing; the off-duty first responders who showed up because they knew there was need; the doctors, paramedics and other healthcare professionals who rushed to hospitals whether they were scheduled to work or not; the thousands of ordinary Australians who flocked to Red Cross blood donation centres, taking up the call from medical professionals who put out the plea for urgent blood donations; and everyone who attended vigils and lit candles in solidarity with the Jewish community.

It is from our shared humanity—in recognising and responding to the divinity and dignity of every person—that we will rebuild from this. Hanukkah is a story of resilience. It is a reminder that even a small amount of light can dispel a great deal of darkness. We stand with the Jewish community of Bondi, of Sydney and of all Australia. We will not let fear and hate win.

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