Bondi has long been the spiritual home of Sydney’s Jews. Now it will be a place of remembrance and grief

Political graffiti at Sydney’s Bondi beach in the 1980s. On Sunday 14 December 2025 ‘an act of sheer evil turned an afternoon of celebration into a tragedy of bottomless grief’ for Bondi’s Jewish community. Photograph: John Robinson/Alamy

For as long as anyone can remember, Bondi beach has been the symbol of Australia’s sunkissed lifestyle, its sweeping crescent of sand attracting busloads of tourists, backpackers and locals all year-long.

But for Sydney’s Jews, Bondi has always been something more. The suburb is the spiritual home of the community, a hub where Jews from all generations gather to eat, meet and schmooze.