Rabbi Daniel Epstein

ZFA welcomes forthcoming state visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, following Bondi terror attack The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) welcomes today’s confirmation that Israeli President Isaac Herzog will visit Australia early in the new year. In the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack during Chanukah, ZFA President Jeremy Leibler wrote to President Herzog on behalf of Australia’s Jewish community, inviting him to come to Australia to stand with a grieving nation and a shattered community. ZFA welcomes the Australian Government’s decision to now extend the formal invitation in accordance with protocol. Australia and Israel share a long and proud history of friendship, grounded in shared democratic values, mutual respect and deep people-to-people ties. For decades, successive Australian governments from both sides of politics have recognised Israel as a close partner and friend - a relationship that has long been an important source of reassurance for Australia’s Jewish community. The Bondi attack has shaken the Jewish community at its core. The community’s grief is profound, but so too is the sense of rupture: that Jews were targeted in Australia, at a moment of religious celebration, in a way that felt brutally personal. The attack occurred in a climate where the obsessive demonisation of Israel and of Jews has reinforced a worldview that seeks to strip the Jewish community of the protections normally afforded to minorities. For many families, the fear is not abstract. It is immediate - about schools, synagogues, public Jewish life, and whether the quiet assumptions of safety that shaped post-war Jewish Australia can still hold. ZFA President @jeremyleibler called the visit an important moment of solidarity and healing, saying: “In the days after Bondi, our community reached out directly to President Herzog because this was not only an attack on individuals - it struck at the deepest sense of safety Jewish Australians have carried for generations,” “We are grateful that the Australian Government has now taken up that call and, in accordance with protocol, will extend the formal invitation for a state visit. That matters - because it shows, at the highest national level, that Australia stands with its Jewish citizens, and Australia stands with Israel, against terrorism and hatred.” “President Herzog’s presence will bring comfort to those who are grieving and reassurance to a community living with fear. It will also honour the victims and the courage shown on the day - including Gefen Bitton, who remains critically ill - and reaffirm the shared resolve of two democracies to confront antisemitism, hate and violence with clarity and strength.”   ZFA looks forward to working with community and civic leaders to support a respectful program of reflection during President Herzog’s visit, including opportunities to honour the victims and stand with those recovering from the attack.