Thousands gather in Sydney for An Evening of Light and Solidarity with President Herzog

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has delivered a deeply personal address to the Sydney community at An Evening of Light and Solidarity, an event that combined testimony, prayer, and reflection following the Bondi terror attack on December 14, 2025.

President Herzog told the audience that the trauma of December 14 would endure long after the immediate shock had passed. The physical and emotional scars from December 14 will forever be part of our two nations,” he said.

He said his decision to be present in Sydney was deliberate and grounded in action rather than symbolism. “We’ve come here not simply to tell you that we are with you, but to show you that we are with you,” he said. “There are certain emotions one can only convey through action, only by doing, by showing up.”

President Herzog placed the attack within a wider pattern of antisemitism, warning that hatred directed at Jewish communities was neither new nor incidental. “The hatred that triggered the shooting is the very same age-old plague of antisemitism endured by our parents and grandparents,” he said, adding that it predated current conflicts by generations.

He criticised what he described as silence from former allies and institutions in the face of rising hostility, quoting Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel: “To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.”

The President also drew on Israel’s own experience of mass trauma on October 7, 2023 and since. Every Israeli knows somebody who was killed, abducted, wounded or abused, he said, describing a society only beginning to process months of loss and shock.

Alongside the President’s address, the evening included several personal tributes and readings that organisers positioned as central to the program. University student Mimi Baron delivered a moving poetic tribute to 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest of those killed in the attack. Sheina Gutnik daughter of Bondi victim Reuven brought a single candle onto the stage as the victims’ names were read. She then delivered a powerful tribute to her father.

Rabbi Orna Triguboff and Yossi Eshed of the State Zionist Council of NSW presented a reading of Psalm 23, delivered in both Hebrew and English, reinforcing the memorial tone of the evening and its focus on shared grief across generations and backgrounds.

Throughout the evening, music was performed by the Shir band, accompanied by other talented singers, adding a reflective tone to the program.

Senior political and community leaders were present, including NSW Premier Chris Minns, Susan Ley, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton. Jewish community leaders in attendance included Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, and David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.

President Herzog paid tribute to those who responded in the aftermath of the attack, praising what he called the courage and decency of ordinary Australians. “We will never forget the extraordinary, ordinary people who ran towards danger to help strangers,” he said, thanking those who gave blood, offered comfort, and stood with affected families.

He repeatedly underlined the bond between Australian Jewry and Israel. “You, the Jews of Australia, are as much part of Israel as Israel is part of you,” he said. “We have come to declare; you are not alone.”

Closing his address, the President issued a series of emphatic affirmations, calling for leadership grounded in principle. “Yes to thriving Jewish communities. Yes to safeguarding communities of every background,” he said. “Yes to moral clarity. Yes to strong bipartisan relations between Israel and Australia.”