<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/22/australians-to-perform-acts-of-kindness-on-national-day-of-mourning-for-bondi-terror-attack-victims-ntwnfb>
"Thousands of Australians are expected to perform acts of kindness on Thursday
to commemorate the victims of last month’s Bondi terror attack, as the Jewish
tradition of mitzvah spreads across faiths and backgrounds.
A mitzvah, which is a core value in Judaism, has come to mean any charitable
act and is being requested of Australians to mark the national day of mourning.
CEO and co-founder of charity Kids Giving Back, Carole Schlessinger, will be
among them. She has been running a One Mitzvah for Bondi program every week
since the terror attack, opening the charity’s doors to hundreds of families to
prepare meals for vulnerable communities, and will run two events on Thursday.
“We truly believe that enabling kids and families to do these mitzvahs, these
acts of kindness, is deeply empowering, giving young people a sense of agency,
purpose and hope, especially at times like these,” she said.
The president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Daniel Aghion, said
he would be spending the day at a synagogue while also practising a mitzvah,
which he described as a “beautiful Jewish tradition”.
Aghion said the overwhelming support for mitzvahs after the Bondi attack had
made him “proud of my Jewish faith and proud of Australians”.
“The antidote to exclusion is inclusion,” he said. “One of the beautiful things
that can come out of such a terrible event is a way to bring Australians
together.
“We as a nation want Australia to be a better place, and with very simple steps
and acts of kindness, we can go towards making it one.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
