Sydney benefit concert for Bondi terror victims scrapped after Greek choir objects to singing with Jews
Fundraiser for victims of Sydney terror attack cancelled after majority of Greek choir members vote against joint performance with Jewish singers
A fundraising concert planned in support of victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack has been cancelled after members of a Greek choir reportedly refused to perform alongside a Jewish choral group.
The event, titled Concert for Hope and Unity, had been due to take place at Sydney Town Hall on 28 June and was expected to bring together the Australian Hellenic Choir and the Sydney Jewish Choral Society for a joint performance.
According to reporting by The Australian, the concert was called off after a vote during rehearsals last week found that more than half of the Hellenic choir objected to appearing on stage with the Jewish group.
Some choir members reportedly raised political objections, while others expressed fears over potential security risks linked to the event.
The concert had been organised as a fundraiser for victims of the December terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
In that attack, 24-year-old Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid allegedly opened fire during the gathering, killing 15 people before Sajid Akram was shot dead by police. Authorities said the attack was inspired by the Islamic State terror group.
Sydney Jewish Choral Society chair Anne Spira said the cancellation had left members deeply upset.
“The result is, like many other Jews in the arts since 7 October, 2023, we have been cancelled,” she told The Australian. “We have been de-platformed, and it is deeply upsetting for us and the broader Jewish community, who have been the target of anti-Jewish racism in this country for two and a half years.”
Spira also reportedly made a submission to Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, which was established following rising concern over antisemitism after the Bondi attack.
One unnamed choir member told the newspaper: “It’s not hard to imagine how we’re all feeling.”
Australian Hellenic Choir president James Tsolakis acknowledged tensions within parts of the local Greek community.
“There’s a bit of antisemitism in the Greek community; I didn’t realise the extent of it,” he said. “The Jewish people are all into it, I’m into it, but the Greek choir was a bit anti doing it because of the political climate.”
Australian Hellenic Choir president James Tsolakis acknowledged tensions within parts of the local Greek community. “There’s a bit of antisemitism in the Greek community; I didn’t realise the extent of it,” he said.
He added: “Unfortunately, we have a lot of people in the community blaming the Jewish community for what’s happening in Israel, Palestine… that’s not correct.”
“You want to hate (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu? Hate Netanyahu, but what have the Jewish people done to you? The whole antisemitism thing has got to be wound back.”
Tsolakis said concerns about the wider climate in Australia and fears surrounding the event had influenced members’ decisions.
The cancelled performance was expected to include a joint rendition of The Ballad of Mauthausen, a work centred on the relationship between a Greek prisoner of war and a Jewish prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp at Mauthausen.
The two choirs had previously performed together in 2022.
Organisers had reportedly anticipated a crowd of around 2,000 people, while local government funding of 15,000 Australian dollars had recently been approved for the event.
Despite the cancellation, organisers are said to be exploring future collaborations, including a possible performance in Canberra next year.
Australia’s Jewish community has faced a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents since the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, 1,654 antisemitic incidents were recorded between October 2024 and September 2025 – roughly five times the annual average documented in the decade before the Hamas attacks.
Jewish institutions across Australia have been targeted in recent years, including synagogue attacks, arson incidents and threats against Jewish healthcare workers and community organisations.
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