Australian judge Virginia Bell, born 1951, is in the news for her role in recent inquiries into antisemitism and terror threats.
Australia is investigating a December 2025 mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach that killed 15, with accused Naveed Akram facing terrorism and murder charges. A Royal Commission led by Virginia Bell began in February 2026 to examine the attack, antisemitism, and social cohesion, with a report due by December. Separately, a man in Western Australia was arrested in February for allegedly planning racially motivated attacks on mosques and government sites.
Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has opened public hearings in May 2026 and has heard dozens of Jewish Australians describe a sharp rise in antisemitic abuse since October 2023, trauma after the December 2025 Bondi Hanukkah massacre that killed 15, and calls for tougher security, counterterrorism and gun reforms.