By Christine Chen
SYDNEY, May 4 (Reuters) - Australia began public hearings on Monday into the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December, part of a wide-ranging national inquiry with witnesses set to give evidence on their experience of escalating antisemitism in the country.
The attack, which left 15 dead at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, fuelled calls for tougher gun controls and more action to tackle hatred towards Jews, and followed a spate of antisemitic incidents in Australia.
Virginia Bell, a retired
judge appointed to lead the Royal Commission inquiry, said the first block of public hearings would investigate the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in the country.
"The sharp spike in antisemitism that we've witnessed in Australia has been mirrored in other Western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East," Bell said.
"It's important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility towards Jewish Australians simply because they're Jews."
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has received more than 5,700 submissions from the public.
Witnesses on Monday will include the daughter of a Bondi attack victim, community leaders and a Holocaust survivor. Some witnesses have also been granted anonymity due to concerns they could be subjected to "hostile attention".
"It's fitting that we begin by taking evidence from ordinary members of the Jewish community about their lived experience of antisemitism," Bell said.
"We've received numbers of submissions from Jews describing antisemitic incidents or courses of conduct."
The inquiry released its interim report last Thursday that advised increased security around Jewish public events and further counter-terrorism and gun reforms among 14 initial recommendations.
A second block of hearings later in the month will focus on the circumstances leading up to the Bondi Beach attack and issues raised in the interim report.
The commission is due to deliver its final report on December 14, exactly one year on from the Bondi Beach attack.
(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Sonali Paul)
