Message following the Bondi Tragedy
Message to the EREA Family following the Bondi Tragedy
Dear Colleagues and Members of the EREA Community,
The violence and horror which descended upon Bondi on Sunday evening have shaken our nation to the core. As leaders within the Edmund Rice Education Australia family, we write with heavy hearts to acknowledge this profound tragedy and to stand in solidarity with all who are grieving, fearful, and searching for meaning in its aftermath.
As the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has said, “The loss of innocent lives is a tragedy beyond measure. The families and loved ones of those who have died have had their world shattered.” We hold these families and loved ones close in our thoughts and prayers, along with all those who have been injured or traumatised by these events.
It is deeply distressing that this act of violence has been linked to antisemitism. Such blind prejudice and hatred stand in stark contradiction to the values we hold dear as Australians and as a Catholic educational community. In a country that prides itself on tolerance and open-hearted hospitality, this violence reveals a dark and destructive reality that threatens not only our Jewish brothers and sisters, but the wellbeing of our whole society.
As an EREA community committed to providing a liberating education grounded in dignity, justice, and respect for all, we unequivocally condemn all forms of hatred, racism, antisemitism, and violence. We echo the call contained in the EREA Commitment to Global Justice and Peace, ‘Wherever conflict occurs, wherever the conditions for potential conflict appear, wherever societies, cultures and our planet are threatened or decimated, within our families and within our schools - the Gospel, First Nations Wisdom and the Church remind us that we cannot merely be spectators. We must be vigilant that the anger and fear we feel do not give rise to further harm or division.
At the same time, we are reminded of what is best in the human spirit. The courage of first responders and the individual acts of bravery shown by ordinary people seeking to protect one another stand as powerful signs of hope and compassion amidst horror. These moments call us back to our shared responsibility to be peacemakers in our families, our schools, and our wider society.
We entrust those who have died to the love and mercy of God, and we pray for healing—physical, psychological, and spiritual—for all who have been affected. May our shared horror become a renewed determination to reject hatred in all its forms and to recommit ourselves, as an Edmund Rice community, to building a society marked by compassion, justice, and peace.
With prayerful solidarity,
Dr Michael Slattery
President, EREA Council
Dr Stephen Brown
Chair, Trustees of EREA