Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin was allegedly called an “evil Zionist” while visiting the site of the Bondi terrorist attack with Sydney Swans players and club leaders.
The confrontation occurred at about 4.15 pm on Wednesday at Archer Park, where the group had gone to meet members of the Jewish community and hear from one of Ryvchin’s colleagues who survived the 14 December 2025 massacre.
The incident was first reported by The Daily Telegraph, whose reporter witnessed part of the exchange.
Writing on Instagram, Ryvchin said the woman recognised him and asked: “Why are there Zionists here?”
When he asked her to repeat the comment, she demanded to know what an “evil Zionist” was doing at the site.
Ryvchin said he challenged the woman over her behaviour and asked whether she understood where she was standing. He said the abuse continued in front of his colleague, who had been shot at that location during the attack.
Police officers who were patrolling the park noticed the confrontation and intervened.
NSW Police told The Daily Telegraph that officers spoke to those involved and that no further police action would be taken.
The woman told the newspaper’s reporter that she was a local and recognised Ryvchin from his television and media appearances. The reporter described the confrontation as “quite hostile”.
Ryvchin said the incident was particularly disturbing because it occurred at the massacre site, in front of a survivor and within sight of police.
He said it was a reminder of the experience of Jewish Australians and the increasingly brazen nature of antisemitism.
The Swans representatives had visited Archer Park to engage with the Jewish community and hear a first-hand account of the terrorist attack.
During his evidence to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion today, Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, referred to the incident. He described it as an example of the current climate facing Jewish Australians.
He said two colleagues were at Archer Park, Bondi, when one was subjected to verbal abuse “right at the site where 15 innocent people were massacred”, despite police and media being present.
“That’s the kind of social environment we are living in at the moment,” Wertheim told the commission, adding that public commentary by some elected members of the Australian Senate was feeding sentiments that lead to such incidents.