One Mitzvah for Bondi
One Mitzvah for Bondi is an official campaign launched by the government of New South Wales in Australia that encourages residents of the state and the nation as a whole to respond positively to the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, which occurred in Sydney, the capital city of the state. The effort encourages individuals to make the commitment to perform a mitzvah, the distinctly Jewish principle of performing an act of kindness or charity, on behalf of a neighbour or of the community at large. The initiative operates with the support of the government of New South Wales and of religious and political leaders at the state and national level, and was developed under the auspices of the state's Faith Affairs Council.
Development
In the days after the Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack in December 2025, in which 15 Jewish visitors were murdered during a Chabad-sponsored celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah attended by approximately 1,000 people at Bondi Beach, efforts were made to craft a response that would honour the victims through positive action, rather than through the traditional approaches that include statements of condolence or heightened security measures. Led by Steve Kamper, the Minister for Multiculturalism, an emergency meeting of the New South Wales Faith Affairs Council was held. At the meeting, religious leaders sought to craft a response to the incident, where they were told by leaders of the Jewish community that, in addition to the "unambiguous support" from the community at large, they were seeking to have people perform one mitzvah as part of an effort "to bring some light into the world".Rabbi Nochum Shapiro proposed that the ultimate response to an act of such hatred was through acts of kindness, one person at a time. The choice to use the Hebrew word mitzvah was described as a deliberate choice of Minister Kamper as a way to spread the request from the Jewish community. Michael Stead, Anglican bishop of South Sydney and the committee's chair, thanked the leaders of the Jewish community for their input in developing the effort to spread the "love and compassion" that is shared across religious groups.
Announcement
On 21 December, the last night of Hanukkah, more than 20,000 people attended a memorial event at Bondi Beach for the victims, at which a national moment of silence was held and the traditional menorah was lit with all eight candles. Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales, informed the assembled crowd about the "One Mitzvah for Bondi" project, citing the spirit of the slain Chabad rabbi Eli Schlanger. Minns had spoken to rabbis who were consistent in expressing their belief that this approach was the ideal way to help the nation heal, saying that "if hatred spreads through words and actions, then so does goodness," citing the message of Hanukkah "that darkness cannot extinguish the light".Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky of Chabad emphasised that "our response is more light", and that he was encouraging people to create "more light" through positive actions, saying "we are not going to say never again, we are going to do never again." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supported the effort as a way to "bring light into the world".
A portal on the official website of the state of New South Wales asks people of "all faiths and all communities" to commit to describe the good deed that they plan to perform, seeking to "create a powerful wave of goodwill" through the collective efforts of individuals in an effort to "help unite our state".