Bondi Beach massacre likely to become a symbol of hate

The horror on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish holiday celebration, killing at least 15 people and wounding many more, has reopened painful questions about resurgent antisemitism around the world — in particular, antisemitism associated with anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian activism. For some, the tragedy has also reopened the controversy about a slogan New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has been criticized for not disavowing: “Globalize the intifada.”

One suspect, a 24-year-old man who is injured and in custody, was previously investigated for possible ties to a radical Islamist terror group. (The other alleged shooter, his father, was killed during the attack.) There is little doubt that anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish animus, part of some Islamist ideology, were behind the shooting.

Many Australian Jews are criticizing the government for failing to take antisemitism seriously. Anti-Jewish incidents spiked in Australia last year, including arson at synagogues and numerous incidents of graffiti vandalism targeting businesses and homes. Yet, critics say, these attacks were often portrayed as an expression of legitimate anger at Israel over the war in Gaza.

Some of the same conflicts have recently played out here in the United States and in New York — thankfully, without deadly violence. Last month, a raucous pro-Palestinian protest outside Park East Synagogue in New York, which included “Globalize the intifada” chants, drew accusations of antisemitism.

A statement from Mamdani condemned the intimidation of worshippers, without mentioning the inflammatory slogan whose use the mayor-elect had previously said that he would “discourage” but not condemn. However, the statement also criticized the synagogue for hosting “activities in violation of international law” — i.e. an event with a nonprofit group that helps American Jews move to Israel and has been accused of promoting settlement in areas regarded as occupied Palestinian territory under international law. (The nonprofit says it does not encourage people to move to any particular area.) If synagogues that emphasize the Jewish people’s historical and spiritual connection to Israel are fair game for political protest, this is an invitation for religious harassment.

Yet in many cases, anti-Zionist animus turns to anti-Jewish hostility even when Israel is not directly involved. In October, a University of Sydney staffer accosted several students who were celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse demanding to know if they were “Zionists.” In New York, investigations into antisemitism at Columbia University found that the stigma against Zionism often attached to Jewish students in general.

The war in Gaza is a tragic and complicated event that began with a horrifying terror attack on Israel. The specific actions taken by Israel in response are certainly open to criticism — and are viewed critically by many Jews around the world. Such criticism can be unfairly conflated with antisemitism. But rhetoric that inverts the Holocaust and treats Israelis as modern heirs to the Nazis inevitably stokes Jew-hatred. The Bondi Beach massacre, whose victims included a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, is likely to become a symbol of this hate. Notably, the organization which hosted it, Chabad, supports Jewish cultural and religious life everywhere but is not explicitly Zionist.

For most Jews, regardless of how they view the current Israeli government, this is what the “globalized intifada” looks like — given that the term, which its defenders say refers simply to the struggle for Palestinian rights, has been linked to numerous acts of terror. Taking a stand against antisemitism after Bondi Beach should begin with an unequivocal recognition that “intifada” rhetoric is hate speech.

Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a writer for The Bulwark, are her own.

By Cathy Young

Cathy Young is a writer for The Bulwark.