What began as a joyful Hanukkah gathering on the sand at Bondi Beach ended in horror, and the shock has not faded in Australia’s Jewish community or far beyond. Weeks after two gunmen opened fire at the celebration, killing 15 people in what authorities call an antisemitic, ISIS‑inspired terrorist attack, the federal government is now promising the most powerful form of public inquiry the country can offer.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a royal commission into antisemitism that will dig into both the Bondi shooting and the broader surge in anti‑Jewish hatred that many families say had them living in fear long before the bullets flew. The inquiry will investigate how the Bondi attackers were able to arm themselves despite Australia’s strict gun laws, what security agencies knew, and why warnings from Jewish leaders about escalating threats did not result in stronger protection.
The royal commission will be headed by former High Court justice Virginia Bell, who will have sweeping powers to summon witnesses, demand documents and offer protections to whistleblowers. Her task ranges from examining the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in Australia, unpacking the circumstances and planning behind the Bondi Beach shooting, and recommending reforms for police, border authorities and intelligence services to better detect and disrupt extremist violence.
Albanese has described the Bondi attack as the deadliest antisemitic terrorist assault ever carried out on Australian soil, aimed squarely at Jewish Australians celebrating their faith in public. The surviving alleged gunman, 24‑year‑old Naveed Akram, faces dozens of charges including murder and terrorism, while his father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police at the scene; the younger Akram has not yet entered a plea.
The decision to call a national royal commission follows weeks of mounting pressure from across the political parties, as well as from Jewish organisations, prominent sports figures and, most poignantly, the families of the Bondi victims. Many relatives argued that anything less than a federal inquiry into antisemitism and security failures would fall short of honouring those lost and of preventing another attack on a community that already felt increasingly unsafe.
Initially, Albanese backed a New South Wales state‑level royal commission announced by Premier Chris Minns and warned that a broader national probe might take too long. But sustained criticism and emotional appeals from Jewish leaders and survivors prompted a rethink, and the Australian prime minister said listening and changing course is part of how a healthy democracy responds to trauma and rising extremism.
Beyond the inquiry, the government is preparing a legislative response that could once again reshape Australia’s already tough gun regime and test the balance between free speech and social cohesion. Albanese has signalled plans to tighten firearm access and to criminalise some forms of hate preaching, arguing that extremist rhetoric which falls just below current legal thresholds can still fuel violence against Jewish Australians and other vulnerable communities.
For many in the Jewish community, the royal commission represents both a reckoning and a fragile promise. It cannot return those who were killed in the Bondi Beach shooting, but it may finally force Australia to confront how antisemitism was allowed to grow, how two alleged shooters slipped through the net, and what must change so that a simple holiday gathering is never again turned into a scene of terror.