Sheina Gutnick, whose father was killed in the Bondi Beach mass shooting, speaks to the media on Monday after the first hearing block of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in Sydney. | REUTERS

SYDNEY – Australia began public hearings on Monday in an inquiry into the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December, with Jewish Australians giving evidence of their experience of rising domestic antisemitism.

The attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration killed 15, fueling calls for tougher gun controls and more action to tackle hatred toward ​Jews, following a spate of antisemitic incidents.

The first block of public hearings will investigate the nature and prevalence ‌of antisemitism, ‌said Virginia Bell, the retired judge leading the wide-ranging national inquiry known as a ​Royal Commission.

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