Australian Jewish Affairs Council: Warnings were ignored ahead of deadly shooting attack

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) says it is “horrified” by the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah party at Bondi Beach, noting that the organization had warned of the potential for violence.

“This is not just a terrible day for the Jewish community, for Bondi, and for Sydney but for all of Australia, and for the values we hold dear, that are the bedrock of what for so long has been our inclusive, harmonious society,” says AIJAC Executive Director Colin Rubenstein in a statement. “We are horrified by what has unfolded. Our immediate thoughts are with those killed and injured and their families, and with all those who witnessed this horrendous crime.”

AIJAC has warned for years that “the unceasing antisemitic vitriol on our streets would evolve into antisemitic violence if left unchecked,” Rubenstein says. “We have warned that verbal abuse becomes graffiti, becomes arson, becomes physical violence, becomes murder.

“This is the outcome of the calls we have heard far too often at marches through our cities to globalize the intifada and that all Zionists are terrorists,” Rubenstein adds. “Our governments and authorities must act to end this hateful incitement.”