NSW considers ADF deployment and arming of CSG to protect Jewish institutions

In the wake of the attack on the Jewish community at Bondi Beach on Chanukah, NSW Premier Chris Minns has confirmed the government is actively considering further security arrangements for Jewish institutions, including discussions about deploying the Australian Defence Force.

He has also raised the possibility of arming the Community Security Group (CSG), a volunteer-based organisation that provides protection at synagogues, Jewish schools and communal events.

Regarding the possibility of military deployment at Jewish schools, synagogues and events, Minns stated, “We’re in discussions about it. I’m not prepared to front-run it, because obviously that’s a change for us, but I’m just flagging with everyone – I’m not going to rule anything out.”

The comments come two weeks after the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi that killed 15 people during a Chanukah gathering and has left the Jewish community reeling. Minns returned to Bondi on Sunday, acknowledging ongoing fear while urging the broader public not to retreat from public life.

Minns said arming the Community Security Group was “one of the things that we’re actively looking at, as well as changes to security protocol for future events in Sydney”, according to news.com.au. He acknowledged it was “a step that we haven’t taken in the past”, but said, “the truth of the matter is, when it comes to ensuring that the community, the Jewish community in this case, feels safe within their own community when they have community events, we need to be able to show and demonstrate that there is going to be security in place to deal with the threat.”

A document recently seen by ABC indicates the Community Security Group had raised concerns with NSW Police prior to the Chanukah event about security arrangements at Bondi Beach. Police have not publicly confirmed the contents of the document.

Police will carry long-arm firearms across Sydney on New Year’s Eve as the city proceeds with its traditional fireworks. Minns said the heightened police presence was shaped by conversations with Jewish families concerned about safety since the attack.

“Because of the weird ideology of some of these terrorists, what they want is for us to crawl up into a ball and not have fun with our family and friends during this Christmas period,” Minns told media on Sunday. “So, I’m calling on the people of Sydney to step out, to do what you would ordinarily do, to thumb your nose at the terrorists.”

“That will be confronting for some people,” he said. “I have spoken to a lot of parents, and they would feel far more comfortable if there was a major police presence. And that includes the firepower that’s required to confront some evil terrorists, if those circumstances were to repeat.”

Bondi Beach remained noticeably quieter than expected over the weekend, partly because of cold weather, with a visible police presence and memorials still lining the bridge and nearby park linked to the attack. Representatives of Chabad have established a temporary structure adjacent to the massacre site. At the location, they are encouraging Jewish visitors to lay tefillin and are offering free challot, candles and mezuzot. Donations are also being sought to support families of the victims.

The NSW government has introduced a series of measures in response to the attack, including tougher hate-speech laws, firearm restrictions and the first use of emergency powers to restrict protests following a declared terrorist incident. The 14-day ban on certain public assemblies in parts of Sydney may be extended for up to three months.

Minns rejected criticism from former Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy, who warned the protest restrictions could inflame antisemitism by removing an outlet for anger over Israel’s war in Gaza.

“I think what it actually does is it adds to the slippery slope of inflammatory rhetoric that ends up scaling up the more it occurs,” Minns said.

The premier also vowed to pursue hate preachers, including for past conduct.

“There’s no statute of limitations on being a racist and an antisemite, and if you preach that kind of hatred in our community, then you can expect to be confronted,” he said.

On 23 December, a Sydney prayer hall linked to hate preacher Wissam Haddad was shut down after the City of Canterbury-Bankstown Council issued a cease-use order, stating the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown was only approved for use as a medical centre and did not have planning consent to operate as a prayer hall. The closure followed council investigations and was publicly supported by the NSW government.

With AAP