Australians of any faith or background urged to do a good deed ‘in memory and honour of those who no longer can’
W
hen the New South Wales government asked Jewish faith leaders what they wanted after the explosion of hate that targeted their community and claimed 15 lives at Bondi beach, they requested positive action.
The idea Rabbi Nochum Schapiro presented to the emergency meeting of the NSW Faith Affairs Council convened by the minister for multiculturalism, Steve Kamper, was simple. It was for everyone to perform one mitzvah – an act of kindness.
At the nightly vigils outside Bondi Pavilion, only metres away from where the blood was shed Sydney’s rabbis shared stories of the different ways all 15 victims showed kindness during their lives. From Rabbi Eli Schlanger driving hours across the state to support a single prisoner, to Marika Pogany volunteering to deliver Meals on Wheels to elderly people, and 10-year-old Matilda’s happiness at the thought of her friend receiving an award at her school presentation day.
