Sheina Gutnick, whose father was killed in the Bondi beach terror attack, has described the iconic location as carrying a 'really heavy weight in our community's heart' during her testimony at the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.
Bondi: A Place of Joy and Tragedy
For Gutnick, Bondi beach holds both treasured memories and deep torment. It was where her parents met, where she spent happy childhood summer days, and now, tragically, where her father died defending his community. 'Bondi holds many complicated and conflicting feelings for me,' Gutnick told the commission on its opening day of public hearings.
Her father, 62-year-old Reuven Morrison, was one of 15 people shot and killed at Bondi on 14 December, allegedly by two Islamic State-inspired gunmen in an antisemitic terror attack targeting Jews celebrating Hanukah at a beachside event. Morrison died after throwing bricks at the attackers.
Family History Intertwined with the Beach
'It was somewhere where my parents had started their history together,' Gutnick, the commission's first witness, said. 'Somewhere I had spent many days in my childhood, I had beautiful memories there with my family, I had spent a lot of time there with my children during school holidays. And now Bondi holds a really heavy weight in our community's heart.'
Gutnick's father fled to Australia from Ukraine at age 14 and met his wife, another Jewish refugee, at the beach. 'He was deeply proud to have moved to Australia and been an Australian citizen, and grateful for a nation that welcomed Jews when so many others turned them away at that time,' she said.
Rising Antisemitism and Fear
Gutnick recounted an incident in December 2024, a year before the Bondi massacre, when she was walking through Westfield Bondi Junction with her baby. A man pointed at her Star of David necklace and called her a 'fucking terrorist'. 'I felt shocked, exposed and unsafe. There were many people around me, but no one intervened,' she said. She now lives with constant fear and heightened vigilance in public spaces.
Several other Jewish Australians also gave evidence on the first day of hearings before former high court justice Virginia Bell in Sydney. An anonymised witness, AAK, described encountering rallies that made her feel unsafe. 'We've had many generations of discrimination and we have a bit of a sixth sense when things are going to be potentially uncomfortable or even dangerous for us,' she said. AAK told a friend that warnings from the Jewish community about rising antisemitism were downplayed or ignored: 'Dead Jewish people don't need love, alive Jewish people need people to listen to us when we tell people we feel like history is repeating itself.'
Questioning the Future in Australia
Another witness, AAL, said he had fallen in love with Australia while visiting from South Africa and immediately felt it was his home. But growing antisemitism has made him question his family's future. 'I have to admit, things have changed: I really have to think very, very seriously whether this is the country for my grandchildren.'
The royal commission last week issued its interim report, focusing on the intelligence and security response to the December attack. Bell addressed the commission, noting: 'The sharp spike in antisemitism that we've witnessed in Australia has been mirrored in other western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East. It's important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility towards Jewish Australians simply because they're Jews.'
Hearing Blocks and Testimonies
The current fortnightly block of hearings focuses on defining antisemitism, its historical and contemporary manifestations, and its impact on Jewish Australians. Counsel assisting the commission, Richard Lancaster SC, said subsequent blocks will examine the conduct of intelligence and law enforcement agencies before the attack, and a third block will look at institutions and industries, including social media and radicalisation.
On Monday afternoon, Alex Ryvchin, co-chair of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, gave impassioned evidence, stating Australia now resembles the antisemitic Soviet Union his family fled when he was a child. 'The things we've seen in this country replicate what happened there: the rampant abuse, the violence, the denigration, and the sheer relish with which it is inflicted on the Jewish people.' Ryvchin said he faces consistent death threats, threats against his children, and 'fixated individuals' posting personal pictures online. Being called a 'Jewish dog' in Sydney 'stopped me in my tracks'. He said Jewish families have asked him, 'Will you tell me when it is time to go?' He replied he would, but added: 'I'm not going anywhere, I'm going down with the ship if that's what is required: I love this country and I will continue to fight for the future of this country.'
Jewish Council of Australia Granted Leave
On Monday morning, Bell announced the commission had granted the Jewish Council of Australia leave to appear. The progressive JCA, with over 2,500 Jewish supporters, aims to ensure the commission avoids treating the Jewish community as a political monolith. 'A core feature of antisemitism is the stereotyping of Jewish identity,' said executive director Sarah Schwartz. 'When institutions treat Jews as a politically homogenous bloc, who all support Israel, it obscures the real diversity of our community and misdirects policy responses away from the genuine drivers of racism.'
