Avner’s Bakery, a prominent Jewish-owned bakery in Sydney’s Surry Hills, has closed permanently in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
The owner, celebrity chef Ed Halmagyi, said the decision was made following “two years of near constant anti-Semitic harassment.”
The closure follows the Dec. 14 shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach, where two gunmen opened fire, killing 15 people and injuring over 40.
This incident was the last straw for the business.
Halmagyi told patrons his Sydney bagel shop would be shut immediately, and the business would be put up for sale.
He described the decision as “heartbreaking,” saying there was no practical way to guarantee safety without driving away customers.
On Dec. 17, a message was posted on the bakery’s window announcing the closure.
“It is no longer possible to make outwardly, publicly, proudly Jewish places and events safe in Australia,” the message reads.
“After two years of almost ceaseless antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and intimidation directed at our little bakery, we have to be realistic about the threats that exist going forward. Those concerns are now clearly more pressing and more serious. Even in the wake of this terrorist incident, threats have continued.
“As an open and very public business that operates at all hours, we are unable to ensure the safety of our staff, our customers, our families. And so we have made the only decision available, one that truly breaks our hearts.
“Avner’s is closed.”
The notice follows Avner’s Instagram post on Dec. 15, which notified patrons the bakery would be closed on Dec. 16, “and possibly a little longer,” due to security concerns and to allow time to process the trauma of the Bondi shooting. At the time, there was no indication that Avner’s would shut down permanently.
Community in Fear after Bondi Attack
Jewish community leaders say the closure reflects a broader sense of fear following the Bondi shooting.
Jewish Community Council of Victoria president Philip Zajac said Jewish families were questioning whether it was safe to attend Hanukkah celebrations.
“That reality alone speaks to the severity of this moment,” Zajac told The Australian Jewish News.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Rychin shares the sentiments of Zajac.
“I speak at [the Bondi Hanukkah] every year, I’ve spoken for the last ten years, I look forward to it every year,” he told Sky News.
When his daughter said she was scared, Rychin said he could not reassure her the way he used to.
“This time, I couldn’t really explain it. Previously after an attack, I could tell her it’s okay, we’re safe. I can’t say that anymore,” he added.
