By: Nomi Kaltmann as seen in Crikey

12 January 2026

It’s the middle of summer, and most Australians are watching the cricket on TV or hanging out on the beach, not paying attention to the news. But in my Jewish community, there is no rest or holiday, because we are grieving, we are furious, and we are preparing for the fight of our lives.

Just four weeks ago, fifteen people were murdered at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney. For most Aussies, Bondi is a place that is meant to belong to everyone, yet, on the first night of Hannukah, it became a killing ground for Jews.

While much of the country slipped into Christmas and holiday mode, I attended the funeral of my friend Sheina Gutnick’s father. Around a thousand people packed into the funeral chapel to farewell Reuven Morrison, who was murdered while trying to protect others at the Hannukah event. Unarmed, he threw bricks at the terrorists, trying to stave them off, and for his bravery, he paid with his life.

I have never been to such a devastating funeral, where the sorrow and anguish of all attendees was so palpable. Around Australia, fourteen other families were experiencing the same unbearable loss, burying loved ones, murdered simply for being Jewish.

Most Australian Jews are the children or grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Our families came here because Australia was supposed to be different. Safe and far away from all the old hatreds. We grew up believing this country had our backs, that whatever else happened in the world, Australia would protect its Jews. We grew up believing that antisemitism was a relic of the past. 

Since Hannukah, that belief has shattered.

We are now living in a country where Jewish institutions, synagogues, schools and even Hanukkah celebrations require security. Where Jewish visibility comes with risk. I’m glad that the Prime Minister has announced the Royal Commission, but I’m furious that he only agreed to one after weeks of pressure. 

Many members of the Jewish community feel that a royal commission will help understand what has gone wrong in this country, and why antisemitism was allowed to fester and metastasize.

When something goes catastrophically wrong in Australia, we call a royal commission. We use it when systems fail, and when vulnerable communities are harmed. Recent royal commissions examined institutional child sexual abuse, the Robodebt disaster, aged care and even banking misconduct. 

Without a royal commission, many members of Australia’s Jewish community did not feel that we would properly be able to understand what allowed antisemitism to escalate. We need answers, and we want the answers we receive to these questions to be detailed and comprehensive.

We need to understand how a country without a history of systemic antisemitism allowed antisemitism to grow. We need to examine why repeated warnings were dismissed or minimised. Why law enforcement responses were inadequate. We need to understand why Australia’s Jewish community is the only one who sends its children to Jewish schools with armed guards and worship in synagogues that have layers of protection.

Although the Prime Minister originally promised an inquiry into what happened in Bondi, that was never going to be enough. 

My community has reason to be sceptical of half measures and vague promises. We know that only a royal commission has the scope and power required to confront the scale of the catastrophic failure that resulted in Jews now being the victims of Australia’s worst ever terror attack. 

My friend Sheina has already buried her father. My community is traumatised. We need answers, and we need strong leadership. Anthony Albanese has so far failed to show that. There is a particular kind of anguish that comes with burying someone murdered for their religion, in cold blood, at a Hanukkah celebration. It is unbearable. And almost everyone I know feels rattled. We are asking ourselves hard questions, like whether Australia can keep its Jewish community safe, and if not, are we being stupid to stay here.

I hope no Australian ever has to experience what my community has just endured. 

Now that the royal commission has been promised, I hope it can help to  ensure that such hate is never allowed to fester again.