‘Utter panic and chaos’: Site of celebration at Bondi Beach is now a memorial to a siege | World News

At Bondi Beach, the site of a celebration is now a memorial to a siege, where Jewish people came under attack. 

Muadhi Slaven is clearly still processing what he saw. He speaks softly and thoughtfully as he recalls the harrowing scenes that unfolded in the middle of a Hanukkah celebration he was attending with friends.

“When the shots started, I didn’t know what was happening. It was really loud bangs and my friend turned to me and said, ‘don’t look and after that we just ran for our lives. It was utter panic and chaos. Mums grabbing their kids, dads running. Old people tripping over each other. Just panic.”

Bondi Beach shooting latest updates

Among those killed was Mr Slaven’s friend, Eli Schlanger, a London-born rabbi and father of five.

“He was a great person, a father, a husband, an introvert, great one-on-one and whenever I saw him he would smile,” Mr Slaven told me. He fears other friends were killed too.

On a poster close to where he died, there’s an image of Rabbi Schlanger with his own words next to it: “In the fight against antisemitism, the way forward is to be more Jewish, and appear more Jewish.”

It’s a sentiment shared by his friend, Mr Slaven. “I’ll continue walking around being a visible Jew and it won’t stop me,” he says quietly but defiantly.

Minutes before he fled for his life, he described a joyous scene. “There were hot dog stands, rock climbing, candy floss, little kids running around. People with their families, schmoozing, chatting with friends, having a good time.” But he couldn’t sleep last night – nightmares of the horror that followed replaying in his mind.

At Bondi Beach, there is a stillness now and there was an almost instant show of solidarity – people from all walks of life coming to pay their respects, the Israeli flag flying proudly alongside the Australian one. There’s been song, prayer, silence.

Read more: What we know so far

Mass shootings are rare in Australia because of the country’s strict gun laws. But already, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to discussing more restrictions.

But at the core, this isn’t about weapons. It’s about attitudes, about hatred and about people’s right to exist safely. This event didn’t happen in isolation. There has been a rise in antisemitic attacks and Australia must quickly confront not only how to heal, but critically how to protect Jewish people, who right now feel very vulnerable.