Australia’s special envoy on antisemitism urged the government to intensify its efforts to combat threats against Jews following the Bondi Beach attacks that killed at least 15 people attending a Hanukkah celebration.
Jillian Segal, who was appointed to the role by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year following a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the deadly events on Sunday were shocking but not unexpected.
Ms. Segal and other Jewish leaders in Australia have said that antisemitic incidents have intensified after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. “It hasn’t come without warning,” she said, as she called on the government to increase security for the Jewish community.
Over the past 12 months or so, a synagogue in Melbourne was set on fire. In Sydney, a day care center was also set alight and red swastikas were painted on a synagogue.
“It’s not random,” Ms. Segal said of the mass shooting on Bondi Beach. “It is an attack on the Jews of Australia. It’s an attack on Australia as well.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has criticized Mr. Albanese for joining with other countries in recognizing a Palestinian state this year, saying it had fueled antisemitism. On Sunday, after the attack, Mr. Netanyahu directly linked that decision to the terrorist attack on Bondi Beach.
When asked about Israel’s accusations, Ms. Segal said Australia needed to act on a series of recommendations that she presented to the government in July.
Some focused on countering the spread of antisemitic views, especially on social media; monitoring the content published by the news media; and allowing the government to withhold funding from universities that “facilitate, enable or fail to act against antisemitism.”
At the time, Mr. Albanese said that the government would “carefully consider” the recommendations, but did not commit to implementing all of them.
Ms. Segal’s recommendations have been controversial. The Australia Human Rights Institute accused her of “biased arguments, weak evidence and recommendation overreach.”
After the Bondi Beach attacks, however, Ms. Segal pushed for the government to accelerate implementing the plan.
“Words lead to actions, and actions lead to things like this,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “To actual killings.”
Ms. Segal acknowledged the words of support that Australian leaders have extended to the Jewish community but said more action was needed.
“We need more than embracing,” she said. “We need to understand that this pure evil is antisemitism.”
Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.
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