With everything going on in the Middle East, it was not unexpected that people (including us) would jump to the conclusion that the stabbing of an Israeli might be related.

The revelation that the death is more likely a local issue, while still terrible, brings with it a sense of relief: Thank goodness things have not escalated this far in Australia that people are being killed in the streets over a war thousands of kilometres away.

That said, it was not an unreasonable conclusion to jump to: In addition to the multiple attacks on Synagogues around Australia in the last few weeks, there have been brutal Nazi Skinhead assaults on Orthodox Jews earlier in the year, and Australia First members have admitted to sieg heiling a Rabbi from their car as they hooned past.

On Scumfront, reaction to this incident reveals the true face of “white nationalism:” That’s two Jews less for them to deal with when the time comes, as far as they’re concerned.

Luke McIlveen from the Daily Tele opines on the reaction of the general public:

Race on to tag crimes motivated by hatred
In troubled times, the threat of race-related violence is a real one, writes LUKE McILVEEN

SYDNEY held It’s breath as dawn broke yesterday with the news a 38-year-old Israeli man had died in a stabbing attack at Bondi.

Random attacks are not uncommon, but the thugs who took Herman Guelman ’s life at the corner of Glenayr Ave and Beach Rd at 9.45pm on Saturday seemed to have a purpose.

Many were asking yesterday if he was attacked for being Jewish and whether his death was revenge for the Middle East conflict raging half a world away.

But there was no evidence the attack was racially motivated. Police believe a local dispute is more likely and it will be better for the Sydney community if this turns out to be the case.

But it ’s a sign of these uncertain times that when news filtered through of the brutal murder, a racial attack was the first thought that crossed many minds.

Jewish leaders and police were cautious not to whip up tensions.

A description of the attackers made no mention of ethnic backgrounds or appearance.

But just nine months after the Cronulla race riots stained Sydney ’s reputation as the beach capital of the world, it seemed racial tensions might again be unleashed.

Within hours of the Bondi attack, the facts were still hazy but the Jewish community was running hot with theories.

“Word came back to us last night from people in the area who saw it and found out that the man was an Israeli,” NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Aihadeff said.

“There was a carload of people who stopped and they got out and they assaulted him pretty brutally and some of them were hitting him with a pole or something and there was multiple stabs.” These are difficult times for an Israeli Australian living in Bondi or a Lebanese Australian in Lakemba.

Since the conflict between Israel and Lebanon exploded, hundreds of Sydney families have felt firsthand the agony of not knowing whether trapped relatives were dead or alive.

The sheer number of Australians who began fleeing Lebanon after the bombing about 10,000 indicates the strength of the familial ties between Australia and the Middle East.

Heartrending stories have emerged of Australians desperately awaiting news of their relatives.

The anguish has been no less for Israelis, who invariably have a friend or loved one sheltering from Hezbollah rockets or fighting on the front line.

Two weeks Bondi was shocked by news that Asaf Namer, who was raised in a flat a short stroll from Bondi Beach, had died fighting with the Israeli army.

As The Daily Telegraph reveals today, Mr Guelman had also completed his national service and spent his childhood living in Israel.

But that does not appear to have been a motivation for his killing.

More recently, he could be found working in the kitchen at a fashionable Bondi restaurant.

“The motivation in relation to this incident is unknown at this stage,” Superintendent Mark Walton said.

“We are very open-minded, but there is nothing in relation to information or evidence that it is connected to this man ’s nationality or religious background.” Regardless of whether it emerges a factor in this case, anti-Semitic behaviour has been on the increase since Israel ’s war against Hezbollah began, Last week, ten Middle-Eastern men pelted rocks at the Parramatta and District Synagogue, smashing windows. A youth centre next to the Mizrachi Orthodox Synagogue in Bondi was also torched last Monday.

It all contributes to the feeling that Australia cannot remain blissfully untouched by world turmoil the way it once was.

Last week, the disturbing images of masked Islamic militants in Indonesia brought home just how real the threat of terrorism remains.

A rag-tag terrorist group calling itself the Australian Islamic Youth Movement declared it would launch attacks against countries supporting Israel, including Australia.

The AMYM ’s twisted logic is a perfect example of how a conflict seemingly unconnected to Australia easily becomes a local threat.

“These people are wiffing to martyr themselves and that just feeds on itself,” Islamic scholar Zachary Abuza said.

“Events like [the conflict in Lebanon] are superb tools for recruiting and indoctrinating people.” The weekend attack at Bondi or more accurately the community’s response to it shows the spectre of the Cronulla riots still hangs over Sydney.

The explosion of violence last December put the ugliest aspects of Australian life on display.

But just as despicable were the retaliation attacks, in which carloads of Middle-Eastern youths bashed and stabbed innocent people on sight simply because they were “Anglo”.

The riots at Cronulla and revenge attacks that followed had been simmering for years.

It was Australia ’s first full-blown race riot and its roots could be found in the September 11 attacks on New York, Lebanese gang rapes and Bali bombings.

As the weekend murder in a busy Bondi street showed, any act of violence will be scoured for a possible racial motivation from now on.