As the world mourns the deadly terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in Bondi, an Australian entrepreneur shares her experience hiding underneath a vehicle just metres from the shooters.
It was 34 degrees in the eastern suburbs of Sydney on Sunday afternoon. Thousands of people were at the beach cooling down, gathering with friends, and kicking off the festive season.
Just after 6.30pm, Australian-born entrepreneur Pip Edwards and a friend, Jess, were walking toward the children’s playground on Bondi Beach. They passed a bridge as the first round of ammunition was fired upon unsuspecting beachgoers.
“We immediately ducked between two parked vans as the shots continued to fire incessantly, and quite literally as close as two metres away,” Edwards writes on Instagram.
The two women took refuge under a van.
“We watched the gunman’s feet with his gun pace in front of the van right at our heads, using our van as his post. The shots kept firing and we rolled from side to side under the van to hide behind the wheels, as the gunmen’s feet walked around us, trying not to be seen.”
Edwards and her friend held their breath, not wanting to be discovered by the alleged terrorists metres away.
“They shot at everything and everyone; surrounding cars were being hit, including our van. I was convulsing with fear, trapped, thinking this was it for us, just monitoring the movement of their feet,” writes Edwards.
The fashion designer praises her girlfriend Jess, who she says was calm and protective.
“In that moment, all we could do was hold tight onto each other, squeezing together so close, in hope,” says Edwards.
She describes the carnage she witnessed as something she will never be able to grasp. The 45-year-old mother says she is beyond grateful to have survived the shooting.
“We were under there for 15 minutes in complete panic, shock, almost frozen. When the deafening gunshots finally stopped, our friend Chris broke through all the barriers to come find us, save us, and extract us from under the van.”
Sunday’s targeted attack on the Jewish community has been met with wide condemnation and shock.
Former Australian government Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said today that the antisemitic attack was predictable and has brought shame on the nation.
“It is the deadliest terrorist attack in Australian history. The greatest loss of Jewish life since October 7 anywhere around the world outside the state of Israel,” Frydenberg said in a televised interview. He asked the Australian Prime Minister to be accountable for radicalisation of hatred within Australia.
“Unless our governments, federal and state, take urgent unprecedented and strong action, as night follows day, we will be back grieving the loss of innocent life in another terrorist attack in our country.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese answered the allegations that he has not done enough to eradicate antisemitism after warnings from leaders in the Jewish community.
“Anyone in this position would regret not doing more,” Prime Minister Albanese said four days after the attack.
“My heart goes out to Jewish Australians. There is always more that can be done, always. Quite clearly, there is more to do,” says Albanese.
Edwards and other survivors have also called for unity and coexistence between people of differing religions, political affiliations, and nationalities.
“This violence is impossible to reconcile,” Edwards writes. “My heart bleeds for us all. This crazy, wild, and unnecessarily brutal incident is incomprehensible – unfolding among innocent people enjoying a glorious Bondi summer’s day.”
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