Australian Jewish Family Faces Thousands of Antisemitic Threats Following Bondi Terror Attack

An Australian government committee investigating the Bondi Beach terror attack last Hanukkah, where 15 Jews were killed, revealed that one prominent Jewish family in Australia receives thousands of antisemitic threats annually. Stephen Levy, former co-CEO of financial firm Westpac and son of billionaire Frank Lowy, disclosed that his family is under constant online attack, with about 1,500 threatening posts flagged in just four weeks and around 40 individuals reported to police. Frank Lowy, founder of the Westfield shopping center empire sold for $16 billion, now lives in Israel and has a personal net worth estimated at $7.9 billion as of 2025.

Stephen Levy expressed concern over the frequency and severity of the threats during his testimony to the antisemitism inquiry on Monday. He advocated for the establishment of a national service similar to Singapore’s mandatory conscription, which he believes could help repair Australia’s social fabric. Levy’s wife, Judy, who serves on the board of a prestigious Jewish school in Sydney, was targeted online with antisemitic slurs, including being called "Genocide Judy" after launching a fundraising campaign. One such hateful post came from an account with over 230,000 followers and was later removed.

Arsen Ostrovsky, head of the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) and a victim of the Bondi attack, testified about the relentless online abuse directed at him and his family since the incident. He described it as a "never-ending tsunami of Jew-hatred," with some attacks involving doctored images falsely portraying his injury. Ostrovsky said the cumulative impact threatens his physical safety and that of his family. His nine-year-old daughter, who has grown up in Israel and experienced repeated shelter runs, told him she feels safer there than in Australia. Both of his young daughters were present at Bondi Beach during the December 14 attack.