Australians are marking in different ways the first anniversary of the deadliest terror attack against Jews since the Holocaust but are being told grief shouldn’t be a competition.
Jewish communities are marking the October 7 anniversary with vigils across the nation, remembering the , according to Israel, when militant group Hamas launched its attack.
It’s a difficult day for a Jewish community in mourning, which is made harder by , StandWithUs Australia’s executive director Michael Gencher told a Sydney vigil.
“One year after the attack, we find ourselves still in the midst of mourning,” Gencher told gatherings in Bondi on Monday.
“There are still hostages, there is still war, and the pain remains ongoing.”
Jewish community leaders have decried a spike in antisemitism since the attack, with Zionist Federation of Australia CEO Alon Cassuto calling it “nothing but completely shocking”.
Rallies held to mourn Palestinian deaths
Rallies and vigils are being held for those who have died in Gaza following Israel’s sustained counterattack, as the battered strip remains under constant bombardment.
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to its local health ministry.
Thousands of people , calling for action against Israel and a free Palestine.
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the past year had been framed as the start of the conflict, which for Palestinians had really raged for more than 70 years.
Rallies and vigils across multiple cities over the weekend marked the anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel. Source: AAP / Steven Markham
Labor Friends of Palestine NSW said, “the community movement against genocide will not be silenced” after the police tried to stop the rally from going ahead.
Jewish leaders have criticised pro-Palestinian rallies and vigils on and just ahead of October 7, calling the timing “inappropriate”.
Gencher said he understood the heartache on both sides, “but to choose this day, to me, feels as though it was done on purpose and … directed towards the Jewish community”.
Labor MP Josh Burns, who is Jewish, struck a different tone, saying while his community needed space and time “to reflect and to mourn and to mark the loss of life, of family, of friends, of innocent people”, empathy was needed.
“Grief is not a competition, this conflict hurts, it hurts people across many different communities,” he told ABC radio.
“If we don’t hold compassion and space for one another, how on earth can we expect people in the region to?”
Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton and Adam Bandt send October 7 messages
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marked the anniversary by mourning the loss of innocent lives and declaring there was no place for hatred in Australia.
“Jewish Australians have felt the cold shadows of anti-Semitism reaching into the present day and as a nation we say, never again,” he said in a recorded message.
“Sorrow knows no boundaries and recognises no differences.
“The number of civilians who have lost their lives is a devastating tragedy.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said in a message on X, “The last 12 months constitute one of the most difficult periods for Jewish Australians in our nation’s history.”
“We pray for the hostages still held by Hamas and we grieve for the families who have lost those dearest to them.
“The Coalition stands with our ally Israel — rather than treating her like an adversary.”
Greens leader Adam Bandt mourned those killed on October 7 and reiterated his party’s call for unconditional release of the hostages.
“There are many who are also waiting for news of their loved ones’ fate nearly a year after being taken hostage by Hamas and the refusal of the Netanyahu government to reach a ceasefire and secure their release,” he said in a statement.
Israel’s military campaign has now as it hunts down senior figures in Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran and designated a terrorist organisation by Australia.
Australian citizens who have been on flights are set to begin the last stage of their journey home on Monday.
