‘Deliberate and powerful’: Daughter of Bondi terror attack victim welcomes council plan to co-host antisemitism summit

The daughter of a grandfather brutally torn away in the Bondi terror attack has welcomed “powerful and deliberate” plans to mark the anniversary of the atrocity. Waverley Council has unveiled plans to co-host a major antisemitism summit in the weeks leading up to a year on from the horrific attack which claimed the lives of 15 innocent people. Sheina Gutnick, whose father Reuven Morrison was among those killed, has said the event must “confront hatred at its source”. Ms Gutnick is part of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and joined the campaign this month, following her father’s cruel death on December 14. She has welcomed plans for the conference, which will bring together community leaders to highlight ways antisemitism can be exposed and addressed. “Holding this summit in Bondi, in the weeks before the first anniversary of the attack that took my father’s life, is a deliberate and powerful statement,” Ms Gutnick said. “This is the community that bore the cost of antisemitism in its most brutal form – and this is where the national response has to deepen. “My father was killed because of hatred that was allowed to grow unchecked. “If this summit is to mean anything, it has to confront that hatred at its source – bringing councils together with interfaith leaders, educators and youth workers to invest in the deradicalisation, early-intervention and prevention measures that stop the next attack before it is ever planned.” The summit is planned to be held on November 26 and 27 – two weeks before the official anniversary. Next week, Waverley Council will vote on whether to join the New South Wales Government and Commonwealth in staging the event. Mayor Will Nemesh said: “Co-hosting the summit presents a powerful and timely opportunity to bring together councils, community leaders and government partners to reflect, honour the memory of victims, and recommit to building cohesive communities free from antisemitism.”