The Bondi Beach massacre, which killed 15 people including a child and an 87‑year‑old Holocaust survivor, comes amid a global spike in antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, 2023. Slogans like “globalize the intifada” and calls that blur the line between Israeli policy and diaspora Jews have normalized hostile rhetoric that can translate into violence. Without concrete measures — stronger law‑enforcement responses, clearer public repudiation of antisemitism, platform accountability and community protection — similar attacks are likely to recur.
How Anti‑Israel Rhetoric Is Fueling Antisemitism — And Turning Words Into Deadly Violence
How anti-Israel rhetoric contributes to antisemitism and real-world violence
On the first night of Hanukkah, hundreds of Australian Jews gathered to light the menorah — a ritual observed for millennia. At the same time, two armed men carried out an attack at Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead, including a 10‑year‑old girl and an 87‑year‑old Holocaust survivor.
For Australia’s small but active Jewish communities, the massacre was both a shocking tragedy and, grimly, not wholly unexpected. Since Oct. 7, 2023 — when more than 1,000 Israelis were killed — antisemitic incidents in Australia have risen roughly fivefold. Within days of that October massacre, a demonstration outside the Sydney Opera House erupted with chants of “F— the Jews.”
The pattern of harassment and intimidation that followed is familiar to diaspora Jewish communities worldwide: synagogues burned or vandalized; kosher restaurants targeted; Jewish educational centers spray‑painted with slurs and swastikas; protests outside Jewish institutions; and a rising number of verbal and physical assaults. That steady drumbeat of threats and provocation makes the slide from rhetoric to deadly violence disturbingly predictable.
How Rhetoric Normalizes Violence
Two linked dynamics help explain the surge in attacks on Jews outside Israel.
First: For more than two years, some activists have promoted slogans such as “globalize the intifada,” “intifada revolution,” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” These phrases deny Israel’s right to exist and call for a global struggle against Zionism, whether the target is in Gaza, New York or Sydney. Critics argue this is political speech or solidarity with Palestinians; but language matters. The second intifada included suicide bombings and deliberate attacks on civilians — restaurants, buses and holiday gatherings were struck — and thousands were killed and injured. To dismiss calls for an intifada as harmless political metaphor while ignoring this history is to risk normalizing violence.
Second: Many pro‑Palestinian activists conflate Israeli government or military actions with every Jewish person who identifies as Zionist — which, surveys show, describes a large share of Jewish communities. That conflation turns diaspora Jews into targets of anger directed at the Israeli state. For example, protesters recently gathered outside a synagogue in New York’s Upper East Side because of an event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that helps Jews considering immigration to Israel. Demonstrators alleged the event promoted settlement activity — a claim the organization denied — yet chants calling to “globalize the intifada” and to “take another settler out” were heard.
Where Words End And Violence Begins
When calls for violent uprising enter mainstream discourse, the risk of those calls being acted upon increases. Diaspora Jews who have no role in decisions taken by the Israeli government or military nonetheless find themselves branded complicit. That branding turns basic identity, culture and familial ties into a political scarlet letter; it also increases threats to everyday safety across cities from Sydney to New York, Manchester to Toronto.
“Without clear, consistent repudiation and action against antisemitic rhetoric, attacks like Bondi Beach are likely to recur.”
Public condemnations by politicians of both parties following such attacks often read like ritual “thoughts and prayers.” While statements matter, they are insufficient when not paired with concrete measures: law enforcement resources devoted to monitoring and preventing targeted violence, consistent condemnation of antisemitic leaders and rhetoric across the political spectrum, better content moderation by platforms, and education to distinguish legitimate criticism of Israeli policy from language that denies Jewish existence or incites violence.
What Needs To Change
Policymakers and civic leaders should take three immediate steps: (1) treat antisemitic threats and organized calls for violence as the security risks they are, allocating resources to prevention and rapid response; (2) make clear public distinctions between criticism of Israeli policy and speech that delegitimizes Jews or incites violence, and hold leaders and platforms accountable when they cross that line; and (3) fund community protection and education to reduce fear and promote constructive dialogue.
The Bondi Beach massacre is a tragic reminder that rhetoric has consequences. Without sustained, concrete action to reject antisemitism in all its forms, the combination of dehumanizing language and real‑world intimidation can — and has — led to deadly results. The question for democracies everywhere is whether words will continue to be allowed to morph into permission for violence, or whether societies will act to stop that slide.
