Wendy Sachs

Reuven Morrison was murdered at Bondi. The powerful words of his daughter Sheina Gutnick should be read by every Australian. She speaks truth to power. “My father is dead because those in power chose inaction. And that stain will not wash off. You are guilty.” Her statement 👇 “My father was murdered. In cold blood. Shot. For being Jewish. He did not cower. He did not lay low. He sprang to action. To fight. He was a man bigger than life itself. No boundary was uncrossable. Impossible was not a word in his mind. He put others before himself. It cost him his life. Ripped from his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and dear grandchildren. Leaving a gaping, heaving wound of sorrow. His love reached far and wide. His impact on the world was quiet, but absolutely immense. A philanthropist with a heart of gold, bigger than his chest. A man with humour and wit. A friend whose loyalty knew no bounds. It is a surreal nightmare from the deepest, darkest depths of hell. A reality far too horrendous for any human mind to process. Devoted to his faith. A loud and proud Jew. He fled the USSR to live as a Jew without fear. To an Australia that welcomed him with open arms. Where he rekindled his faith. Where he built a family, a successful business, and became a quiet philanthropist. A large man of immense kindness, who put the needs of others before his own. Who brought light into every life he touched. And then. Australia did not fail quietly. It failed loudly, repeatedly, and with full knowledge. Its government watched hatred grow and chose to do nothing. They minimised it. They excused it. They dismissed Jewish warnings as noise. A black, monstrous tornado cloud of antisemitic hate rolled in. It marched on bridges. It waved green, black, and red flags. It called for death to the Jews. This was not a shock. This was not sudden. This was not unpredictable. Antisemitism was out in the open. Threats were real. Fear was voiced again and again. And the government did nothing that mattered. Collectively, they abandoned us all, allowing antisemitism to fester. A government that refuses to protect Jews after being warned does not get to claim innocence. A government that lets hate fester holds responsibility for the blood that follows. It has his blood on its hands. The blood of all the victims. To those sheep who mindlessly reposted calls for intifada, you are guilty. To those who adorned themselves in keffiyehs and pro-Pal slogans, you are guilty. My father was murdered because leaders were weak. Because they were lazy. Because they cared more about optics than lives. Do not dare call this a lone act. Do not dare speak of bad luck or bad timing. This was the result of neglect and moral rot at the top. Australia betrayed him. Its government betrayed him. They cleared the way. My father is dead because those in power chose inaction. And that stain will not wash off. You are guilty.”