Jewish Bakery Closes Following Sunday’s Terror Attack At Bondi Beach

Bakery owner Ed Halmagyi has decided to permanently close his Jewish bakery in Surry Hills, as a result of the terror attack at Bondi Beach this Sunday, which targeted the Jewish community exclusively.

Halmagyi is a long time TV chef and food author, and has since 2023 been the owner of Jewish bakery, Avner’s, in Surry Hills.

On Wednesday morning, a statement for customers could be seen in the bakery’s window stating that “Avner’s is closed”.

The note explained that in the wake of the attack at Bondi, the bakery team no longer finds it possible to make “outwardly, publicly, proudly Jewish places and events safe in Australia”, and since they no longer feel that they can ensure staff safety when at work, they have made “made the only decision available”.

“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 forwards. Those concerns are now clearly more pressing and more serious,” it read, and continued that the bakery has experienced continued threats even since the terror attack at Bondi on Sunday. 

“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,” the statement read.

Bakery has experienced antisemetic harassment ever since opening

Bakery owner Halmagyi explained to the Sydney Morning Herald that Avner’s has experienced harassment in the form of anti-semetic graffiti, threats and slurs ever since it opened in 2023. The harassment has also included numerous break-ins, glue put in dis door locks, and even human faeces thrown at the bakery’s windows. 

But Halmagyi emphasised that these things has never gotten to him, and that he saw it as only intimidation.

He further said that he initially chose to work publicly as a Jewish business because he thought it was important to represent “the very best” that the Jewish community has to offer. However, that in doing so he has put himself into public conversations that aren’t healthy.

“I now have to deal with the fact that if somebody decides they want to go and get someone publicly, I am precisely that sort of person,” Halmagyi said, as he then explained that to him, there is a difference between threats of violence and actually completing a violent attack as the two gunmen did at Bondi on Sunday, and that he fears what’s to come for the Jewish community.

“Threats of violence are a different category. Sunday’s event was clearly violence, pure, unadulterated violence. It was meant to kill, and it was meant to destroy social bonds.”

“The idea that people who are sufficiently well motivated to cause violence, intimidation and the destruction of property and life have many resources other than guns at their hands,” said Halmagyi.

NSW police declared the shooting on Bondi Beach a terror attack as it was targeted specifically towards the Jewish community who were gathered at the beach to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, with more than 1000 people in attendance.