Bondi One Year On: Reclaiming Our Humanity
Description
As an Australian Jewish media organisation, we, like the rest of the community, have had our world turned upside down since the horrendous attack at Bondi last year that killed 15 people and injured many more.
On the eve of the anniversary of the terror attack that targeted the Jewish community, we want to take the opportunity to reflect not only on what and who was lost that day, but also explore what has become of Australian society since.
Ahead of the release of the Royal Commission findings, what have we learned from the past year?
Are we further from or closer to social cohesion in our communities?
How do we build a more tolerant society that holds space for different views without dehumanisation of the other and resorting to violence?
What is the media's role in creating a climate of change?
The panel discussion at the State Library of NSW is aimed at both the Jewish and broader community and will include the Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, Jordan Baker, human rights lawyer Anthony Levin and Muslim community leader Dr Jamal Rifi. It will be moderated by TJI Senior Writer Michael Visontay.
The afternoon event will include live music by Nadav Kahn and Jessica Chapnik Kahn.
We hope you can join us to respectfully explore this sensitive space together and be a part of this important conversation.
Lineup
Jordan Baker, Editor of the SMH
Jordan Baker has been a journalist for 25 years, working across newspapers, magazines and wire services. She has covered politics, crime and sport for the Herald, and was most recently its chief reporter.
Dr Jamal Rifi AM
Dr Jamal Rifi has been a leading figure in the Australian Muslim community for over 25 years, and has dedicated himself to fighting social injustice, and building bridges between Muslim and other communities. Dr Rifi was a founding member of Muslim Doctors Against Violence and the Christian-Muslim Friendship Society. He is also a long-standing member of the international board of Rozana, the health diplomacy organisation that works across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Anthony Levin
Anthony Levin is a human rights lawyer and writer whose work has appeared in The Guardian, Men’s Style and Prospect Magazine (UK). He co-hosts the award-winning SBS podcast Grave Matters and currently leads the Royal Commission Legal Assistance Service. He is also the inaugural Jacob G. Rosenberg Fellow at Monash University.
Michael Visontay
Michael Visontay is a Senior Writer at The Jewish Independent and was Editor-in-Chief from 2017-22. He has worked for 40 years as a journalist, editor, author and lecturer across a broad range of Australian media. Michael is a former Assistant Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, Deputy Editor of the Sun-Herald and columnist with The Australian Jewish News.
Nadav Kahn
Nadav Kahn is an Israeli-born, Sydney-based singer-songwriter, producer and multi-disciplinary artist. He has released 12 albums, received an APRA Award for songwriting, composed for film and toured internationally as a solo artist and with a number of bands, as well as working as a cantor and kirtan singer. Alongside his contemporary musical practice, Nadav has spent extensive periods in India, immersing himself in Vedic chant and exploring the transformative power of sound. His Jewish heritage is another deep thread in his work, through Kabbalah, Hebrew prayer and ancient melodies, which he continues to explore through his music and songwriting. Most recently, Nadav created and performed Hineinu for the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, bringing together songs that speak to the times we’re living through, alongside spoken word, Jewish text, niggunim and reimagined liturgy.
Jessica Chapnik Kahn
Jessica Chapnik Kahn is an Argentinian-Australian writer, singer-songwriter and actor who trained at the Atlantic Theatre Company Acting School in New York. She has performed across stage, television, and film, released two albums under the moniker Appleonia, and earned an ARIA award nomination. As a writer, Jessica is the author of the poetry collection MADRE, the children’s book Lenny and the Ants, and co-author of A Repurposed Life, which was longlisted for an ABIA Award. In 2025, she was a featured speaker and performer at TEDxSydney, and her collaborative work The Fire Always Says Yes had its world premiere at the Sydney Opera House.
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