Premier urges reflection as Bondi victims remembered in national mourning day
SA is holding a special service on Thursday as victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack are remembered across the nation in a day of mourning.
A National Day of Mourning is being held across Australia on Thursday as the nation remembers the 15 people who died in the horrific Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
In the words of a spiritual leader of the Chabad Jewish community in Bondi, Rabbi Mendy Ullman, it “is going to be a night that will honour the victims, number one, but also be a proud moment for Australians to show that light will win, that light is going to come out of the darkness that happened at Bondi Beach”.
It is the first time Australia has observed a national day of mourning since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas today called for unity in response to the Bondi terrorist attack.
“Today is the National Day of Mourning for one of the most horrific events in our nation’s history, and I think that does invite a moment of reflection,” he said.
“I’m a very firm believer that we’re all Australian, we’re all brothers and sisters, regardless of our faith or ethnicity.
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“To see some people lose their lives in the name of getting together with other people from their faith community is not consistent with who we are as a country.”
In SA, an Evening Prayer service will be held at St Peter’s Cathedral in North Adelaide, starting at 6pm.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said flags would fly at half-mast on Thursday and national institutions in Canberra and Sydney would be lit up.
“This needs to be a moment of remembrance for the 15 innocent lives that were taken on that devastating evening at Bondi Beach,” he said today.
“But it also needs to be a message of hope that light will win. It was the first night of Chanukah, which the Jewish community celebrate the victory of light over darkness. It’s a really positive message of hope.”
There will be a national memorial service at the Sydney Opera House from 7pm, which will be streamed online.
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Fifteen candles, one for each victim of the December 14 antisemitic terror attack, will be lit by the families of those slain.
Dignitaries expected to attend alongside Albanese include Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and NSW Premier Chris Minns.
The prime minister encouraged all Australians to participate in their own way by leaving a candle on their window ledge or doorstep, with a minute’s silence scheduled for 7.01pm.
“This will be a very important day of mourning. It will be an opportunity for us to pay respects as a nation to those people who lost their lives,” he said.
The Jewish community has requested that Australians come together through a mitzvah, an act of kindness or compassion. This can include giving to others, helping the sick, offering hospitality or providing kindness to animals.
It comes a month after a vigil at Bondi Beach attended by thousands of people in a cathartic show of defiance and sadness, as survivors recounted harrowing tales of bullets flying past them.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, who lost his brother-in-law Rabbi Eli Schlanger, arrived at the scene of the terrorist attack soon after.
He has been heartened by people coming together to support a Jewish community so viciously targeted.
“The one thing that’s common is a sense of community and support, looking after each other and trying to provide as much comfort as possible,” he said.
-with AAP
