Ryvchin warns global leaders after deadly attacks on Australian Jews

Jewish Australians have experienced the sharpest decline in physical security of any Jewish community in the world, according to Alex Ryvchin, a sobering assessment from a leader in a country long considered one of the world’s safest democracies.

Speaking in Washington DC on Thursday March 5, Ryvchin described how escalating antisemitism since 2023 culminated in devastating attacks, including the December 2025 Bondi Beach massacre that claimed 15 lives during a Chanukah celebration.

“It is my community, the Australian Jewish community, that has experienced the single sharpest decline in physical security of any community in the world,” he said.

“As an Australian, I’m still astounded to be saying those words.”

Ryvchin’s stark assessment comes amid lingering trauma from the Bondi Beach attack, where a father‑and‑son terrorist cell opened fire on families gathered for Chanukah killing 15 and wounding dozens, and the earlier firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue.

Addressing reporters during his visit to the World Jewish Congress, Ryvchin said Australia’s experience should serve as a global warning.

“We see clearly the path to a massacre, the progression from words chanted on city streets and international landmarks, the way that destabilised and divided our society,” he said.

That environment, he added, created openings for foreign actors and criminal networks to exploit tensions.

“We saw a terrorist cell embed itself within our country, acquire weapons lawfully, train, carry out reconnaissance and ultimately carry out a horrific, barbaric terrorist attack,” he said, referring to the Bondi assault that left 15 people dead.

During the visit, Ryvchin met officials at the United Nations, the White House, the US State Department and members of Congress to brief them on the attacks and their implications for Australian Jews.

“Everyone that heard the details of the attack was horrified by the brutality of it, by the fact that it was able to happen in Australia,” he said.

Ryvchin noted significant international scrutiny of Australia’s response to rising antisemitism.

“There is a great awareness and understanding of what happened in Australia, which might surprise many back home, but this country is clearly watching and they’re deeply concerned,” he said.

He added that the US State Department now views antisemitism as a central issue in bilateral relations.

Yet despite new security measures post‑attacks, including permanent police presence outside synagogues and schools, the community feels no safer.

“When you look at the situation in which we’ve been placed since the attack, with permanent police presence outside our synagogues and outside schools, no one feels safer sending their children to a place where they require police protection.”

Even memorial vigils have unfolded under heavy security.

“When we have held vigils in honour of the victims of the massacre, we’ve had police snipers on roofs,” he said.

“As Australians we’re not used to seeing that. As Jews, we don’t want to see that. But this is the way we have to live right now.”

Rebuilding trust, Ryvchin said, will require time and accountability for the failures that allowed antisemitism to escalate unchecked.

He welcomed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s acknowledgement of those failures, calling the PM’s apology to the Jewish community at the Sydney Opera House heartfelt.

“We’re now seeing the process of a Royal Commission,” Ryvchin said, adding that confidence will only begin to return once investigations conclude and meaningful reforms are implemented.

“I think the process towards restoring our way of life as Australians, our equal way of life, will be a long one.”

During the press conference, Ryvchin expressed strong support for US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, thanking the Trump administration for decisive action.

He described the Iranian regime as a longstanding global source of terrorism, one that had extended its reach to Australia.

“The Jewish community is acutely aware of the harm posed by the Iranian regime,” he said, adding that removing the regime would make the world safer and foster greater Middle East cooperation.

Ryvchin also voiced solidarity with the Iranian people.

“They are the first victims of the Iranian regime,” he said, expressing hope they could one day choose their own leadership free from repression.