Liberals wanted to extend the royal commission. But Jewish groups did not join the call

August 29, 2026 — 5:00am

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Rabbi Yehoram Ulman was given the final say as the powerful probe established after his son-in-law’s brutal killing concluded its public hearings. “Australia is at a crossroads,” Ulman told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion on Wednesday as former High Court judge Virginia Bell adjourned to finalise a seminal report that will shape how Australia deals with hate.

Ulman lost his son-in-law and fellow rabbi Eli Schlanger on the first night of Hanukkah last year when two gunmen opened fire at Bondi Beach. Schlanger’s youngest child was only two months old when the rabbi and 14 other mostly Jewish people were killed on that golden summer evening.

“One day he will be old enough to understand what happened on December 14, 2025,” Ulman told the commission, in reference to his grandson. “I wonder what Australia he will know by then.

“Will he learn that the warning signs were there, that hatred was allowed to grow, and that even after Bondi, Australia failed to change course? Or will he learn that Bondi became a moment when Australia understood where unchecked hatred can lead, found the courage to confront it, and chose another path?”

The royal commission’s public hearings ended as they began – with harrowing testimonies. Ulman, from Chabad Bondi, was one of 340 witnesses called to give evidence across 62 days, with more than 130 of those personal accounts from Jewish people. The commission has received 20,000 written submissions.

Antisemitism royal commission

I feel brave, but scared too, torn between standing up and........

© The Age