'The People Have Spoken': Final Hearing Day of Antisemitism Royal Commission

A special government inquiry called a royal commission held its final day of public hearings this week, looking into antisemitism — which means hatred toward Jewish people — and a deadly terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The attack happened on December 14, 2025, during a Hanukkah celebration, and 15 people were killed. About 300 witnesses shared their stories during the inquiry, and more than 20,000 written submissions were received from the public. The commission is led by Commissioner Virginia Bell, and its final report must be finished before the first anniversary of the attack.

One of the last witnesses to appear was Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, the director of Chabad of Bondi, the Jewish community group that was targeted in the attack. Rabbi Ulman's son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was one of the people who died in the shooting. Having the rabbi speak near the end of the hearings gave the inquiry a deeply personal and powerful closing moment.

Other important witnesses also shared their stories on the final day. Holocaust survivor Janina 'Nina' Bassat was called to give evidence, and the organiser of a paddle-out event to honour the Bondi Beach victims also appeared. Joseph La Posta, CEO of Multicultural NSW, spoke about the One Mitzvah for Bondi initiative, a program that encouraged people to do simple acts of kindness after the attack.

The commission also heard from Amar Singh, whose group Turbans for Australia cooked and served food to community members and emergency workers affected by the shooting. Many of the final witnesses focused on how communities can work together and support one another after tragedy. Topics like education, sport, and arts and culture were all discussed as ways to help people from different backgrounds get along.

The inquiry spent most of its time holding hearings in Sydney, but also met in Melbourne. Commission staff visited Jewish communities in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide to hear from people around the country. Commissioner Bell also personally invited families of those who were killed to meet with her.

Now that the public hearings are over, the commission will focus on writing its final report and recommendations. Those findings are due before December 14, 2026 — exactly one year after the attack. Commissioner Bell has said she considers delivering the report on or before that anniversary 'a matter of critical importance.'

Not everyone agrees the inquiry had enough time to do its job. Liberal MP Julian Leeser said the short timeline had 'imposed severe constraints' on the commission's ability to fully examine antisemitism in Australia. He also said some 'critical players' — meaning important people or groups — were never heard from during the hearings.

Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, spoke to ABC News Breakfast about what he hoped the royal commission would achieve. He said the inquiry gathered a huge amount of evidence, including 20,000 submissions, documents, and both public and private hearings. He added that he hoped the work would help prevent 'further tragic catastrophes' and reduce hatred aimed at the Jewish community.

Mr. Ryvchin also said it was meaningful that everyday Jewish Australians — not just well-known figures — had been able to share their experiences. He noted that the community was 'not solely relying on the commission to cure the illness of society,' meaning they are also taking their own steps to fight antisemitism. Former Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who strongly supported the creation of this royal commission, revealed he had not been called as a witness, even though he had offered to appear and had submitted written evidence.