New Year’s Eve fireworks to feature menorah after letter from Jewish creatives

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be lit up with a menorah in tribute to the 15 victims of the Bondi terror attack, as council makes a last minute change to the New Year’s Eve tribute.

The initial plan for the tribute, made in consultation with the Jewish Board of Deputies, was to light up the bridge with the image of a dove and the word “peace”.

That changed on Monday after more than 30 Jewish-Australian creatives wrote a letter to Lord Mayor Clover Moore urging her to project a “Jewish-specific symbol” onto the bridge.

The signatories, which included Caleb’s Crossing author Geraldine Brooks and Aria Award winner Deborah Conway, said the initial plan “obfuscates and erases the problem of anti-Semitism”.

“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.

“It is insulting to strip our friends and family, who were killed for being Jews, of the dignity of being recognised as Jews in their death.”

By Monday afternoon, Ms Moore had issued a statement in reply, with a menorah added to the tribute.

“I continue to listen to the community to ensure the acknowledgement of the horrific attacks at Bondi Beach during New Year’s Eve is appropriate,” Ms Moore said.

“...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.

“Now more than ever, we must hold tightly to everything that makes Sydney a diverse, peaceful, and harmonious city.”

One signatory of the open letter, documentary filmmaker Danny Ben-Moshe, described the initial decision of the City of Sydney Council to not include a Jewish-specific symbol as “jaw-dropping” and “added insult to injury”.

“It hurts that after Australian Jews are killed in Sydney, they are commemorated without acknowledging who they are,” Mr Ben-Moshe told The Daily Telegraph.

“Imagine a memorial for the Bali bombing without acknowledging the victims were Australian or having no Australian flag present. That should never happen, but that is what the equivalent of what is happening in NYE in Sydney to Australian Jewry.”