In a country known for many years as a haven from oppression, the picture of a 62-year-old man throwing bricks at an armed assailant on Bondi Beach is one that symbolizes bravery but is also a reminder of those who are also vulnerable. Reuven Morrison, 62, a man from Soviet origins who is a part of Australia’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, was killed in Sunday’s mass shooting, which is known to be an anti-Semitic terrorism attack. His daughter, Sheina Gutnick, said simply, “My dear father, Reuven Morrison was shot dead for being Jewish at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach while protecting lives, while jumping up, putting his own life at risk to save his fellow Jewish community members.”
Eyewitness video confirmed by CBS News shows Morrison approaching one of the shooters just moments after another bystander, 43-year-old fruit vendor Ahmed al Ahmed, had tackled and wrestled the gun from the gunman’s hands. Gutnick thinks her father attempted to clear the jammed weapon, yelling back at the attacker. “If there was one way for him to go from this Earth, he would be fighting a terrorist. There was no other way he would have been taken from us,” she said.
Morrison’s emigration to Australia was supposed to break the cycle of fear. He left the USSR fifty years ago due to deep-seated antisemitism and believed he could find asylum in Australia, where he could feel safe. He spent many years there without fear, building a family and integrating into society. The attack has left Gutnick “betrayed by the government” for turning a blind eye to warning signs that indicated a rise in antisemitic attacks, although the past two years have shown a rise in such crimes, including synagogue fires and attacks on Jewish educational institutions.
This violence in Bondi Beach occurred against the background of threats which have been on the increase. There have been fire bombings in synagogues, antisemitic graffiti in Jewish-owned businesses, as well as attacks on Jewish neighborhoods. Some of the violence has been attributed to foreigners, such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, leading to the expulsion of diplomats. This has created a sense of fear among the Jewish communities in Australia.
By the next day, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was able to begin to soothe: “Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together.” Later moves by his administration include: recommending tougher hate speech laws; an expansion of powers for the police; and an increase in funding for security in physical locations for the Jewish faith. A new crime of “aggravated hate speech” will be introduced, as will the stripping of visas for those seeking to divide communities. An education task force will also incorporate study of the Holocaust and antisemitism into school courses to root out prejudices early.
In addition to security, building resilience is a necessary step for communities affected by hate crimes because it helps them recover and heal as well. According to advice given by experts at the National Mass Violence Victim Resource Center, building resilience as a victim and as a community involves at least analyzing personal responses to the incident and working to build coping mechanisms against isolation, although limited exposure to the media can be a great strategy in coping with the associated stresses of the crime and increasing empathy as a mechanism of protecting the affected community against the effects of hate crime-induced fear associated with the social ripples of hate crimes.
According to experts quoted above as providing advice on building resilience against hate crime effects as a victim as well as a community affected by the Morrison’s death has also sparked debates regarding the level of preparedness. Gutnick was critical of the police being “untrained for this massacre,” citing memories of police officers lying in the grass when the attack began. There have been renewed pleas to follow the 13-point plan proposed by the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, regarding the combatting of antisemitism. The background information adds to this tragic outcome. The migration of Jews to Australia, especially in Europe and the former Soviet Union, was precipitated by the desire to find refuge and avoid persecution.
Australia had, for several decades, been known to be among the safest havens for Jews. However, recent events in this period, culminating in the attack at Bondi Beach, threaten this reputation and inform debates on ensuring multicultural diversity in this multicultural nation. After his death, Morrison is remembered not only as a hero, but also as a source of illumination among those who knew him. “He added so much light into the world. There was no human on Earth you could compare him to.” The last thing Morrison did, running towards danger to save others, is a testament to humanity’s ability to resist hate, even as it is faced, while his loving community is still consumed by grief and a need for change.
