Terrorist attack on Jewish community an attack on us all

AS A prominent Jewish man and a Bass Coast Shire Councillor, Ron Bauer has been called on to speak on behalf of the Jewish community in Gippsland and the people of Bass Coast and South Gippsland more broadly after the terrorist attack on the Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney last weekend.

While laying a wreath at the Berninneit Cultural Centre in Cowes on Wednesday, and signing the condolence book, Cr Bauer said the events of last Sunday were still very raw.

“Look, I’m probably the worst when it comes to practicing my faith. I’m not an overly religious person, but I am Jewish and I think at a time like this it’s important to stand up and be seen to be Jewish,” said Cr Bauer.

“It’s been a tremendously confronting thing for all of us and not just for people of the Jewish faith. I’ve never seen my wife Nancy cry so much. I had to turn off the tellie at one stage. She’s been overwhelmed by grief and she’s not even Jewish.”

After laying his wreath and signing the condolence book at Berinneit in Cowes, Cr Bauer spoke about what is by far the worst terrorism incident on Australian shores with 16 dead, including one of the perpetrators Sajid Akram, 50, and 43 injured, including his son, Naveed Akram, 24.

• So, Ron, what are your thoughts about the attack on the Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney, now a couple of days after the event?

“The first thing is I'm so grateful for the outpouring of emotion towards me as a Jewish person and also as a councillor. It's been overwhelming the amount of people in the community that have reached out, and I'm very grateful,” said Cr Bauer.

“I think also, this is not just an attack on the Jewish community, it's an attack on our way of life in Australia, and I think that's what's really rocked us more, because when we see this in America and we say, oh those silly Americans with their gun laws. But now it's happened here, we know it's more than that.

“I just hope that we can heal and move forward as a community and realise that it is what it is, and we have to be more vigilant.”

• What do we have to do next? Are there the things we have to do differently?

“Absolutely, yeah. I think that we have to realise that racism, whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia, or even against the Asian people and other minorities, we have to realise that these are ordinary people, and we can't stereotype them the way we are doing now.”

• What do you say to the people of Bass Coast and South Gippsland more broadly?

“As I said, first of all, I'm incredibly grateful for the way they've reached out to me. I think I'm probably the lightning rod for the community being the Jewish councillor. And the overwhelming Aussie spirit, is the best way to describe it, of mateship, and saying, ‘No, this is not the way you want to live’ is shining through. And I accept that the vast majority of people are fair, open and willing to embrace everybody.”

• So, obviously you’d want to see a full investigation of this and some recommendations coming out of that as an opportunity to learn about what we need to do better?

“Well, if that doesn't come out of a commission, whether it's royal or otherwise, I think I'd be a monkey's uncle. I'm sure many recommendations will come forward from this on how to move forward. I think that the current attitude of just play it low key, let to lie down, is obviously not working, and we need to do something stronger to protect our minorities.”

• Have you been able to reach out and support some of your friends in Jewish community?

“I have reached out to the Jewish people I know in the Bass Coast Shire and asked them all if they are alright. As you know, I am also the Australian representative to the World Jewellery Congress and the amount of international people that have contacted me through that organisation to see how we are in Australia just shows, number one, the impact it's had overseas and number two how they regard us Australians and love us Australians.”

But Cr Bauer has made it clear. There should be no sugarcoating when official statements are made about the Bondi massacre.

“We need to call it what it is, a terrorist attack on Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah, those three words – terrorist, Jewish and Hanukkah need to be used in any official statement,” said Cr Bauer.

Cr Bauer received the full support of his fellow councillors at the council's final meeting of the year at which they received a briefing from Monash MP Mary Aldred.

The council took the suggested direction from Cr Bauer about including the words terrorist and Jewish in their brief statement of solidarity.: "Last meeting of councillors for 2025 with Federal Member for Bass Mary Aldred showing solidarity with Jewish councillor Ronnie Bauer and the Jewish Community after the Bondi terrorist attack".

Condolence books are available to be signed at Bass Coast Shire Council offices in Wonthaggi, Grantville and Cowes (Berninneit).

The South Gippsland Shire Council is providing a similar opportunity at its Smith Street shire office in Leongatha.