(Tuesday, December 23, 2025) – Nearly 600 elected officials from more than 40 countries have signed a letter expressing solidarity with Waverley Council Mayor Will Nemesh following the anti-Semitic terror attack at a Hanukkah menorah-lighting ceremony on Bondi Beach.
The letter, organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), was sent in the wake of the December 14 attack, in which gunmen opened fire on members of the Jewish community gathered to mark the first night of Hanukkah. Fifteen people were murdered and dozens more wounded in an assault that sent shockwaves through Australia and the wider international community.
Signatories to the letter include national legislators, mayors, council members, and local elected officials from cities and parliaments across North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
In the letter, the officials described the attack as a deliberate act of anti-Semitic violence and rejected any attempt to frame it as random or isolated.
“The deliberate targeting of Jews during a moment of prayer, celebration, and spiritual meaning was not random,” the letter states. “It was an attack on Jewish identity, on memory, and on the values that bind our democratic societies together. Such violence must be named for what it is: pure and simple Antisemitism.”
The signatories warned that Antisemitism is no longer a theoretical or distant concern, but a growing threat visible at the local level around the world.
“As elected leaders from around the world, we see firsthand that Antisemitism is not an abstract threat,” the letter continues. “We see how it manifests in our streets, our schools, our communities, and online, and how quickly intimidation can escalate into violence when it is tolerated, minimized, or excused.”
The officials emphasized that cities are often on the front lines of combating Antisemitism, but stressed that responsibility must be shared across all levels of government.
“Governments at every level must fully assume their responsibility to protect Jewish communities, confront antisemitism decisively, and ensure that those who incite or commit hatred face real consequences,” the letter states.
Addressing Nemesh directly, the coalition expressed support for his leadership during the aftermath of the attack and extended solidarity to the Jewish community of Sydney and Australia more broadly.
“Mayor Nemesh, we stand firmly with you as you lead your community through this moment of tragedy and horror,” the letter reads. “You are not alone.”
The signatories also acknowledged Nemesh’s longstanding engagement in efforts to combat antisemitism, including his participation in two international Mayors Summits Against Antisemitism, and praised what they described as his “steady moral clarity.”
The letter concluded with condolences to the families of the victims and wishes for healing and resilience, reaffirming the coalition’s commitment to confront Antisemitism “wherever and whenever it appears.”
CAM said the letter reflects growing concern among elected leaders that antisemitic incitement, when left unchallenged, increasingly translates into real-world violence, and that the response must be both coordinated and unequivocal.
The full letter can be read HERE
