Bondi royal commission live updates: Jewish Australians share harrowing lived experiences of anti-Semitism
Jewish Australians are sharing their harrowing lived experiences of anti-Semitism within the country as part of the royal commission into the Bondi terror attack.
Scroll down for the latest news and updates.
Key events
04 May 2026 - 02:49 PM
‘We were preparing for a mass casualty event’
04 May 2026 - 02:42 PM
Holocaust survivor re-traumatised by Australian anti-Semitism
04 May 2026 - 02:31 PM
‘They cannot break your spirit’
04 May 2026 - 02:23 PM
Closing comments from Mr Halas
04 May 2026 - 02:22 PM
Jewish people ‘scaredd to come forward’: Halas
04 May 2026 - 02:11 PM
Anti-Semitism started to accelerate during COVID
04 May 2026 - 02:07 PM
Anthony Halas is called as next witness
04 May 2026 - 02:05 PM
Closing statement from Mr Halasz
04 May 2026 - 02:02 PM
Reaction to October 7 attack like a ‘physical blow’
04 May 2026 - 01:46 PM
Anti-Semitism didn’t disappear with the nazis: Halasz
04 May 2026 - 01:35 PM
Mr Raphael reveals Bondi trauma
04 May 2026 - 01:30 PM
‘Why do people want to put swastikas on the front of a synagogue?’
04 May 2026 - 01:24 PM
Mr Raphael describes shocking anti-Semitic assault at university
04 May 2026 - 01:15 PM
Rabbi Benjamin’s closing statement
04 May 2026 - 01:08 PM
Congregants don’t tell Uber drivers where they’re going: Rabbi Benjamin
04 May 2026 - 01:02 PM
Rabbi Benjamin describes series of verbal and physical assaults
04 May 2026 - 12:56 PM
How anti-Zionism becomes anti-Semitism
04 May 2026 - 12:48 PM
The way forward is education and consequences: Ryvchin
04 May 2026 - 12:45 PM
Lack of consequence normalises anti-Semitic behaviour: Ryvchin
04 May 2026 - 12:42 PM
Bondi ‘broke my heart’: Ryvchin
04 May 2026 - 12:34 PM
‘I knew sooner or later someone was going to be dead’: Ryvchin
04 May 2026 - 12:30 PM
Ryvchin describes discovering his former home had been targeted
04 May 2026 - 12:28 PM
Australian anti-Semitism is ‘soaring’: Ryvchin
04 May 2026 - 12:22 PM
We’re now hearing from Alex Ryvchin
04 May 2026 - 12:19 PM
‘I just want our children to feel safe’: Schwartz
04 May 2026 - 12:17 PM
How anti-Semitism impacted interfaith program
04 May 2026 - 12:10 PM
Impact of graffiti attack on Mount Sinai College
04 May 2026 - 11:04 AM
Jewish college president reveals extent of security measures
04 May 2026 - 10:54 AM
Ben describes normalisation of security at Jewish events
04 May 2026 - 10:45 AM
Ben shares experience of army reserve colleagues making anti-Semitic jokes
04 May 2026 - 10:40 AM
Ben shares horrific family bashing story
04 May 2026 - 10:35 AM
AAM says ‘devastated and depleted’ Jewish families are leaving Australia
04 May 2026 - 10:14 AM
AAM describes anti-Semitic attack on kids’ school
04 May 2026 - 10:09 AM
‘How did we get here?’
04 May 2026 - 10:05 AM
AAM describes terrifying night at Melbourne synagogue
04 May 2026 - 09:50 AM
AAL describes ‘disturbing and shocking’ school incident
04 May 2026 - 09:44 AM
AAL describes ‘mad chaos’ at Oct 9 protests
04 May 2026 - 09:37 AM
AAK says Australian Jews need others to listen to them
04 May 2026 - 09:31 AM
AAK describes ‘uncomfortable’ scenes at post-October 7 protest in Sydney
04 May 2026 - 09:15 AM
Jewish Australian ‘genuinely terrified’ by anti-Semitism
04 May 2026 - 08:38 AM
Iran responds to Trump's Project Freedom’
04 May 2026 - 07:14 AM
Government won’t extend fuel excise cut beyond June in Budget
04 May 2026 - 06:59 AM
Trump posts ‘I HAVE ALL THE CARDS’ as meme war rages
04 May 2026 - 06:49 AM
Wong pushes China fuel talks as Hormuz tensions escalate
04 May 2026 - 06:32 AM
Trump keeps pressure on Iran as peace deal doubts grow
04 May 2026 - 06:10 AM
Iran tensions surge as Trump launches ‘Project Freedom’
Trump posts ‘I HAVE ALL THE CARDS’ as meme war rages
The US-Iran ceasefire may be holding - just - but tensions are still playing out online.
Donald Trump has shared what appears to be an AI-generated image of himself holding a stack of UNO Wild cards, alongside the caption: “I HAVE ALL THE CARDS”.
The phrase has become a recurring point of friction between US and Iranian leaders in recent weeks, emerging as a symbolic line in the ongoing war of words even as ceasefire talks continue.
Wong pushes China fuel talks as Hormuz tensions escalate
Penny Wong says talks are underway to secure additional fuel supplies from China following recent discussions with her counterpart Wang Yi.
After her visit, Senator Wong confirmed China had agreed to resume shipments, adding: “Our fuel security depends on each other in many ways,” noting Australia’s energy exports are closely tied to supply chains.
She said she remained hopeful the ongoing, commercially sensitive negotiations would deliver a positive outcome for Australia.
Senator Wong also described the latest attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as “deeply concerning”, backing international calls to reopen the critical waterway.
“We’re engaging with the US, with the UK, with France, with others, around the Strait of Hormuz,” she said, adding, “Obviously, we all want to see the strait opened.” She confirmed, however, that Australia is not directly involved in the current US-Iran negotiations.
Trump keeps pressure on Iran as peace deal doubts grow
US President Donald Trump said that he had yet to review the exact wording of a new Iranian peace proposal, but he was unlikely to accept it, because the Iranians had not yet “paid a big enough price”.
Mr Trump’s remarks on social media concluded a day in which he publicly mused about the possibility of restarting air strikes, the latest mixed signal as he seeks to end the war he launched more than two months ago.
On Sunday, Israel ordered thousands of Lebanese to leave villages in southern Lebanon, an escalation of a war between Israel and Iran’s Hezbollah allies that has run in parallel to the Iran war and could further complicate wider peace efforts.
Iran has said talks with Washington cannot resume unless a ceasefire also holds in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March to attack Hezbollah after the Iranian-backed Lebanese group fired across the border in support of Tehran.
Iran tensions surge as Trump launches ‘Project Freedom’
The world is watching the Strait of Hormuz with renewed unease after US President Donald Trump announced a US-backed mission to escort stranded ships out of the critical oil chokepoint, coupled with a blunt warning that any interference would be met with force.
In a statement, Mr Trump said multiple countries had asked the United States to help free vessels stuck in the narrow waterway, describing them as “neutral and innocent bystanders” caught in a widening Middle Eastern conflict.
The operation, dubbed “Project Freedom,” is set to begin Monday morning local time and will involve US efforts to guide ships safely out of what Mr Trump called “restricted waterways”.
But the announcement quickly pivoted from humanitarian framing to a harder edge.
“If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully,” he said.
