Australian Catholic bishops condemn antisemitism after father-son gunmen kill 16 at Bondi Beach Hanukkah event, urging unity and action against hatred.
Newsroom (15/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) Australia’s Catholic leaders have delivered searing condemnations of a surging “atmosphere of public antisemitism” in the wake of a terrorist attack that claimed 16 lives during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening.
Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney expressed “profound grief and righteous anger” in a statement following the violence, which targeted the “Chanukah by the Sea” gathering.
“That a celebration of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah could end in at least 16 dead, including a young child, and many more injured, horrifies ordinary Australians,” Fisher said. “The brazen and callous disregard for human life, and the hatred of some people toward all Jews, is an unspeakable evil that must be repudiated by every Australian.”
Fisher pointed to a prolonged climate of hostility in Sydney, warning that an “atmosphere of public antisemitism has festered” for more than two years. He cited weekly demonstrations opposite his own cathedral in Hyde Park, where “inflammatory messages have been regularly articulated, which could only have ‘turned up the temperature’ and perhaps contributed to radicalisation.”
“This must stop,” the archbishop declared.
Adding a personal dimension to his response, Fisher disclosed his own Jewish heritage. “My great-grandmother was a Jew… Christians are children of the Jews,” he wrote. “And so, an attack on the Jews is an attack on all of us.”
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, echoed Fisher’s outrage, describing the attack as linked to “the scourge of antisemitism” that has “shaken Australians to the core.”
“The twisted motives behind those who perpetrated these terrible acts are now clearly linked with the scourge of antisemitism,” Costelloe said. “This is a shocking and deeply distressing reality that calls into question our own understanding of ourselves as Australians.”
He cautioned that “blind prejudice and hatred point to a dark and destructive stain in our society that threatens not just our Jewish brothers and sisters but, in fact, all of us.”
In response, Fisher pledged that the Catholic community would “redouble its efforts” to combat antisemitism through education and preaching. He also extended offers of Catholic educational and counseling services to support the Jewish community amid lockdowns and overwhelming demands on their own institutions.
“We love our Jewish neighbors and friends, and we must do all we can to keep them safe,” Fisher said.
Authorities confirmed the attack involved two gunmen — identified as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram — who opened fire on the gathering. A 10-year-old girl was among the 16 killed, with more than 40 others injured.
The elder Akram was fatally shot by police at the scene, while his son remains in critical condition under guard. A subsequent raid on the family’s home in Bonnyrigg uncovered improvised explosive devices in a vehicle linked to the attackers. The incident has been officially declared an act of terrorism.
Reports indicate Naveed Akram was previously investigated by Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, six years ago for alleged links to a Sydney-based Islamic State cell.
Costelloe commended the “remarkable courage of the police and other first responders,” while New South Wales Premier Chris Minns praised a bystander who tackled one of the gunmen as a “genuine hero” who saved lives.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the assault as a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians” and an “act of evil.”
“To the Jewish community, we stand with you,” Albanese said. “You have the right to worship and study and live and work in peace and safety. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
Related Images:
