Our task is to reaffirm the shared values of Australia

The Rozana Australia family is struggling to comprehend the appalling events of Sunday evening in Bondi, Sydney. While we may never fully understand the twisted ideology that motivated the perpetrators of this vile and indiscriminate act of terror, we do know that their clear and deliberate target was a gathering of members of Sydney’s Jewish community — gathered to celebrate one of Judaism’s most meaningful festivals, Channukah: the Jewish Festival of Light and Freedom.

This was an attack on the freedom to worship, the freedom to gather openly, and the democratic values that define Australia as an inclusive and pluralistic society.

Rozana Australia aspires to reflect the very best of the Australian ethos: inclusion, engagement, and strength through diversity. This is the Australian way, and it is the foundation of our social cohesion.

The perpetrators of this atrocity represent nothing more than a violent fringe — criminals whose aim is to tear the core fabric of Australian society. Their actions, intended to divide and terrorise, have instead drawn us closer together as Australians. Yet they also remind us of a sobering truth: that it takes only a few to devastate the lives of many.

Our task, our challenge, and our mission is therefore clear — to deepen and strengthen the bonds that unite us, to stand together against hatred, and to reaffirm, through our actions, the shared values that define us as Australians.