‘I don’t know what happens’ to Australian Jewry now, says Zionist Federation head after Hanukkah attack

The mass shooting at a Hanukkah party at Bondi Beach is likely to change the rules of the game for Jews in Australia, says Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia.

“I’m trying to process what impact this is going to have on the Jewish community of Australia,” Leibler tells The Times of Israel. “This may be the worst attack on Jews anywhere in the world since October 7, and it’s the second-worst mass shooting in Australian history. I don’t know what happens now.”

A lot of people were already contemplating leaving Australia, and this is going to accelerate that, Leibler says.

He says that Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has failed to rein in rising antisemitism, partially due to his ideological opposition to Israel.

“This is a government that cannot understand what this means and disconnect it from the fact that they’ve demonized the State of Israel,” he says. “The prime minister can’t bring himself to get up and say Jews in Australia shouldn’t be held accountable for the actions of the Israeli government.”

This post has been updated.