Australia launches royal commission into Bondi Beach shooting
(JNS) — Australia will launch a royal commission to investigate the terrorist shooting attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 dead, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Jan. 8.
Officials and critics had demanded the high-powered federal inquiry into the antisemitic attack.
“I’ve repeatedly said that our government’s priority is to promote unity and social cohesion. And this is what Australia needs to heal,” Albanese told reporters in announcing the inquiry.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry welcomed Albanese’s announcement, with the organization’s president, Daniel Aghion KC, saying that Canberra “made the right decision” and that “this is the only way that Australia’s time-honored standards of decency and fairness can be upheld.”
The ECAJ “will cooperate fully” with Virginia Bell, the judge appointed to lead the royal commission, “and will make every effort to ensure that the full force of the community’s views and experiences of antisemitism in various sectors of society are brought to the forefront of the inquiry.”
Aghion added that the commission, among other advisable actions, should “examine key drivers contributing to antisemitism in Australia, including ideological, political and religious extremism; and assess the adequacy of government, law enforcement and institutional responses.”
French Jews defend free speech on anniversary of Charlie Hebdo shooting
(JNS) — On the 11th anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, the political arm of French Jewry vowed to uphold freedom of expression in memory of the 12 people murdered by jihadists at the satirical magazine’s offices.
“11 years ago, Islamist barbarism attacked freedom of expression by assassinating part of the Charlie Hebdo editorial team. Let us continue to defend freedom of expression without faltering,” CRIF, the umbrella group of French-Jewish communities, wrote on Jan. 7.
Brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, who identified themselves as members of al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula, murdered 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo headquarters because the magazine had mocked Islam and depicted Mohammed.
A friend and accomplice of the brothers murdered four people two days later at a Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in east Paris. A police officer was also killed by the terror cell.
CRIF organizes annual commemorations for all the victims at the Hyper Cacher site, with the 11th scheduled for Jan. 9.
BBC draws fire after airing Holocaust cello repair story that does not specially mention Jews
(JTA) — In a Christmas special this year, a BBC One program devoted a quarter of its episode to telling the story of a Jewish child refugee whose cello was damaged while fleeing the Nazis on the Kindertransport.
But while the story itself is steeped in Jewish history, the segment of the program failed to make any mention of Jews, igniting criticism from British Jews who are on high alert for signs of antisemitism from the network.
Now, the BBC has issued a clarification, adding a note to the program description in its iPlayer app explaining that the Kindertransport evacuated Jewish children from Nazi territory.
The production company behind “The Repair Shop,” a popular show where family heirlooms are refurbished, said it believed the historical context of Martin Landau’s cello would be obvious to viewers when Helen Mirren, the famed actress who recently portrayed the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir, brought it in during the episode that aired Dec. 26.
“We were honoured to share the history of Martin Landau’s cello and play a small part in telling an important and emotive story with contemporary resonance,” a Ricochet spokesperson said in a statement. “We felt that Martin’s story was told clearly and succinctly, and we believed the fact that he was Jewish was implicit in the story.”
British Jewish groups call for resignation of police chief who banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from soccer match
(JTA) — Two British Jewish groups are calling for the ouster of a local police chief over claims that the force allegedly mishandled the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a soccer game in November.
The decision to ban the fans from a match against Aston Villa Football Club on Nov. 6 was initially made after the West Midlands Police advised the group responsible for issuing safety certificates for the fame to ban the fans over “public safety concerns.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a host of Jewish groups decried the decision at the time. Now, a parliamentary tribunal has increased scrutiny on the police department’s decision making.
While the police have claimed that hundreds of Maccabi fans had targeted Muslim communities the night before a 2024 game in Amsterdam, Amsterdam police have since disputed their characterization of the confrontation. The violence there was driven by people targeting the Maccabi fans, Amsterdam police have said.
At the tribunal on Jan. 6, Chair Dame Karen Bradley accused the local police force of “scraping” to find a reason to justify the ban.
West Midlands Police’s chief constable, Craig Guildford, defended the decision, replying, “I’m really sorry if it comes across in that way. That was absolutely not the case.”
Israel taps markets with $6 billion bond issue
(JNS) — Israel’s Finance Ministry raised $6 billion in an overseas dollar bond sale at the lowest spreads since the war with Hamas began in October 2023, signaling renewed investor confidence in the country’s credit, Globes reported Jan. 7.
The offering included 5‑, 10‑ and 30‑year bonds, priced at spreads of 90, 100 and 125 basis points, respectively, over comparable U.S. treasuries, with total orders reaching about $36 billion from some 300 investors in more than 30 countries.
The weighted spread was about 102 basis points over treasuries, roughly a 34% improvement from last year’s international issue, when the weighted spread was about 154 basis points.
“The results of the offering reflect a return to the spread levels that preceded the war,” said Israel’s Accountant General Yali Rothenberg, noting that the deal came amid a recent drop in Israel’s risk premium and relative calm on the security front.
