Permanent memorial to honour lives lost in Bondi attack
A memorial for the 15 victims of the Bondi terror attack is set to be installed as part of an $8.3 million funding package to help the Jewish community recover.
Some of the victims of the Bondi terror attack
Six months on from Australia’s deadliest terror attack, a permanent memorial will be established at Bondi Beach to remember those killed.
The NSW government is pledging $8.3 million to support the Jewish community after 15 people were gunned down in a targeted antisemitic attack at a Chanukah celebration on December 14.
As part of the package, $2 million will be allocated to Waverley Council in Sydney’s east to support the construction of a permanent memorial.
Another $2 million will be provided to school-based support and trauma-informed programs and grants, with $500,000 for the Community Security Group, which provides security to the Jewish community.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said his government’s unwavering support was a long-term commitment to ensuring the state healed.
“We said from the moment this attack took place that we would walk with the community every step of the way,” he said on Sunday.
“We know that the community needs support and we’re continuing to provide that.”
The Sydney Jewish Museum will receive $2.6 million for redevelopment works, including new modern antisemitism exhibitions
The financial boost comes at a time of heightened focus as the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion holds public hearings.
The commission has been told the Jewish Community Security Group had warned NSW Police in the lead-up to the Bondi shootings that a heightened atmosphere of anti-Semitism made a terror attack on the community likely.
The state’s police rate security risks to events on a three-tier system, with tier-one events handled by local police officers and those on the third and highest tier managed by counter-terrorism officers.
The December Chanukah by the Sea event was given a tier-one rating, while other Jewish celebrations in September and October were classified as tier-three risk.
In an interim report released in April, the commission recommended Jewish community gatherings be earmarked as higher risk.
“We know the impact of this attack didn’t end on that day,” NSW Multiculturalism Minister Steve Kamper said.
“Not only will this package be of comfort to people now and over coming months, but it will lay the groundwork for greater social cohesion and long-term prevention into the future.”
A vigil is being held at Bondi on Sunday for “remembrance, reflection and hope”, six months since the deadly attack.
By: Farid Farid/AAP
