Sydney council changes NYE plans for Jewish tribute
Last-minute changes have been made to Sydney’s New Year’s Eve tribute to the 15 victims of the Bondi massacre after pressure from Jewish creatives.
Sydney’s council had originally planned to project the image of a dove and the word “peace” onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
But an open letter to Lord Mayor Clover Moore on Monday criticised this and urged the council to use a “Jewish-specific” symbol.
The signatories stated that the dove was a generic peace symbol that “obfuscates and erases the problem of antisemitism”.
“We acknowledge the City of Sydney’s plan as a gesture of remembrance, and agree with the need for such a gesture; however, we consider the imagery and word chosen to be insufficient as they do not acknowledge the Jewish particularity of the Bondi massacre,” the letter reads.
“The selection of this word, coupled with the dove, without any specific reference to the targeting of the Jewish community, prolongs our erasure and obfuscates the problem of domestic antisemitism.”
The letter was signed by more than 30 creatives including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, Aria Award-winning singer Deborah Conway and Archibald Prize-winning artist Yvette Coppersmith.
Moore responded that the council would add the projected image of a menorah onto the bridge’s pylons to coincide with a minute’s silence at 11pm on Wednesday.
A menorah is a multibranched candelabra used in Jewish religious rituals.
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“There are no words that can make this moment easier, nor explain the evil we have seen. People from all cultures, nationalities and faiths should feel safe, included and respected in our city,” Moore said.
“Now more than ever, we must hold tightly to everything that makes Sydney a diverse, peaceful, and harmonious city.”
Jewish groups react to Bondi review
Jewish groups say a promised review into the Bondi Beach terrorist attack is an “ineffective half measure” as they maintain calls for a federal probe into antisemitism.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has resisted calls for a national royal commission in favour of a quicker and “safer” independent review process.
Instead, retired intelligence head and former diplomat Dennis Richardson will examine the actions of Australia’s federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies leading up to the Bondi attack to determine whether they operated as effectively as possible.
But leaders of the Jewish community and families of those killed and injured in the attack have called on the government to go further.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said a review of federal agencies would be inadequate.
“We need to understand how it is that anti-Semitism has developed to the level that it has in this country,” he told ABC Radio.
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Monash University public policy expert Deirdre O’Neill said she understood why many in the Jewish community felt let down.
“They’re looking for answers and their sense is that they won’t get it from a review,” she said.
“There’s a sense that a royal commission has the most significant powers, that it’s the most significant type of review that can be undertaken.”
But O’Neill said her research on policy change showed it was not necessarily true that one form of inquiry was better than another.
“The thing about royal commissions is that they’re seen as the highest possible form of independent inquiry,” she said.
“But there are a lot of people who would argue that royal commissions aren’t that effectual.”
Though royal commissions are able to subpoena witnesses and make recommendations, they have no power to implement their findings and success often depend on many factors.
These include the terms of reference used, clear definitions of the problem at hand, recommendations that can work in the real world and resources and time available.
Crucially, it is often the experts at the helm who make the most difference.
“Richardson would be highly regarded … a well respected and eminent figure,” O’Neill said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has committed to a state-based royal commission, which Albanese has supported.
“We need to make sure that the local communities are safe and that’s my responsibility, we’re not shirking it,” Minns said on Monday.
Sydneysiders will face ramped-up security measures with police to carry long-arm and machine guns while discussions continue into arming community guards at Jewish events.
“Anyone who’s suggesting that we can just have the same regime, the same process that we had in place on December 13 is wrong, those days are over,” Minns said.
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-with AAP
