Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You will now have heard of the tragic shooting at Bondi Beach on the late afternoon of Sunday 14^th December 2025. There is much that is still uncertain, though I am confident that the Governments of New South Wales and the Commonwealth and their respective police and intelligence agencies will be extraordinarily diligent in their investigations. However, given that the target was a Jewish group celebrating the feast of Hanukah, we can be sure that the attack was motivated by antisemitism. That ancient dragon, which gave rise to the absolute evil of the Holocaust during the Second World War, has struck in a way that in Australia is unprecedented. Current reports are that fifteen innocent people have lost their lives, their only crime being their religion.

However, the rising tide of antisemitism in Australia has been noted over the last few years. It is something that the bishops of the Anglican Church of Australia have condemned. And yet, more needs to be done.

Early last year I represented the then Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia at a theological conference. On the first day of that conference, one of the questioners asked the presenter a question which repeated the old antisemitic trope that “the Jews” gained undue power and influence because of their wealth. The presenter ignored the trope, rather than repudiating it. I raised this issue with the presenter and with the sponsor of the conference and was assured that they would deal with it. Yet, when the video of the conference was placed online, the question and its antisemitism was included in the conference proceedings.

I then placed a formal complaint with the relevant institution, and after some time the video was withdrawn and I received a response acknowledging that it was antisemitic, that it was deeply regretted, and offering me counselling and if I requested, an apology from those involved. They would also invite a Jewish group to speak to their institution. I responded that this was insufficient. I stated that while a free and voluntary apology from those concerned would be nice, what was really needed was a public repudiation of the antisemitism circulated to all those who attended the conference.

There was neither an apology nor a repudiation. It would have been embarrassing. I deeply regret not pushing this matter further. Now, I am not self-centred enough to suggest that my inaction was in any way causative of what happened at Bondi. But it shows how easy it is to give way in the face of evil, as we try to avoid personal cost or protect an institution from embarrassment. In the church, we have a sad history of seeking to avoid embarrassment – be it over historic abuse, racism, the exclusion of women, problems of domestic violence, or antisemitism. Sometimes we need for the sake of the gospel and for our salvation to publicly admit to what has gone wrong. But furthermore, when our brothers or sisters in Christ say things that are clearly in error and which are conducive of hatred we need to confront them. In love, yes – but also with truth.

There is a lot of messiness at present with the situation in Gaza. There is some reason to be critical of the conduct of the government of Israel. But this never justifies antisemitism. If a Jewish group cannot publicly celebrate a feast day in this country, then no one is safe in their synagogue, mosque or church. When you see hatred, confront it. We can no longer afford to tolerate hatred with an embarrassed silence. For the sake of our country and for the sake of God, speak out.

There will be a time for an examination of government policies and our social practices: much more information will come out over the next few days. In the meantime, I urge you to be very careful with social media and to avoid the hatred and misinformation they often spew. Instead rely on trusted sources of information. But first and most importantly at this time, we must pray and mourn.

We mourn for our fellow Australians cut down at Bondi, who with us worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We pray for all those who suffer and have lost those whom they love. We pray for all those who are injured, and we pray for the NSW Police and Emergency services as they work through the coming days. May our loving God be with them all.

 Yours in Christ

The Right Reverend Dr Keith Joseph
Bishop of North Queensland
15^th December 2025

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