Our final newsletter of the year, which we have made paywall-free, comes to you in a week where an unthinkable antisemitic terror attack has left the nation shocked and in mourning. Our hearts go out to Australia’s Jewish community, who are experiencing unimaginable pain and loss in a time that is meant to be a celebration of light.
We know Australia’s worst incident of gun violence in more than three decades weighs heavily across the rest of the community too, ending an already troubling year on an even darker note. It is important we all take care of ourselves and hold our loved ones tight as we try to make sense of this event.
Moments like these can bring out the worst in people, so please be wary of opportunists who might attempt to represent the actions of two terrorists as a reflection of any one group of people. Attempting to pin this attack on Australia’s Islamic community, or the Pro-Palestine movement, is a dangerous and false narrative that we must stand firmly against. It should not be controversial to stand against antisemitism, at the same time as calling for an end to genocide in Palestine. Equally, and especially as investigations remain evolving, it is critical that we do not give airtime to harmful conspiracy theories or disinformation that minimises or misrepresents the horror of Sunday’s attack.
You may have noticed that we have only published one contributor piece since Monday, which was a choice - we did not think it would be appropriate to immediately return to our usual content. However, we have decided to publish our Friday newsletter as usual, given it is the final edition of the year, and the last time you will be hearing from us (in this forum) until we return after the break. Regular publishing will be recommencing the week of 12th January, however we will have a couple of pieces trickling out between now and then.
A few reminders, for the final weeks of the year:
Our 2025 audience survey runs through until the end of the year, and there are prizes to be won. Fill it out here if you haven’t already.
The December discount on Substack subscriptions will run through till the end of the year, priced at $56 for annual, rather than $70/year or $7/month.
Finally, if you’re stuck for last-minute gift ideas, we put together this guide earlier this year.
And a huge thank you to everyone who has supported Cheek this year, we literally couldn’t do it without you.
On that note, wishing a joy-filled Christmas to all those who celebrate, and safe travels to anyone who is going away. Thank you to everyone who works through the holiday period to keep the rest of us safe, fed, and entertained - you are seen and appreciated. See you in 2026.
Kalila Welch, editor of Cheek Media Co.
Favourites from the Cheek office
Hannah’s pick: Minority Rule by Ash Sarkar
I’m a few chapters into this one and it’s an enjoyable and challenging read. Minority Rule is a socialist criticism of those engaged in liberal politics, and it’s absolutely searing. I can’t review the full book yet, but I’m sure I’ll have extensive thoughts when I finish it (excited for some downtime over the holidays to get through my TBR). I highly recommend it for those who want to wade into the failures of progressive politics and how parts of the left have succumbed to the culture wars. Within the first chapter, the scathing exploration of identity politics was absolutely gripping. I bought the book after seeing it referenced and critiqued in THIS great read by Ruby Hamad for Kill Your Darlings.
Kalila’s pick: The Vanity Fair White House feature
This week, a series of incredibly revealing portraits of the Trump administration has been circulating the internet, praised for a level of intentionality and artistry that wordlessly communicates the sinister aura of the “junkyard dogs” that occupy the White House. The images were captured by Christopher Anderson to accompany Chris Whipple’s Vanity Fair feature on Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles - and I implore you to read the full feature. Over the course of this year, Whipple has met repeatedly with Wiles and other members of the administration, slowly building a level of trust that has resulted in unbelievably candid revelations about the President’s increasingly authoritarian actions in office. The subjects of the feature are, in effect, telling on themselves. In one quote, Wiles describes Trump as having the personality of an alcoholic: that he “operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do. Nothing, zero, nothing”. This is an incredible piece of journalism, and well worth reading both articles in the two-part series if you have 20 minutes to spare.
You can find part 1 here, and part 2 here.
What we read this week
A selection of reporting, analysis, and opinion to fuel your weekend reading.
ABC Story Lab: The 15 victims of Bondi terror attack are remembered with love
Adeshola Ore for The Guardian: ‘Her instinct is to save lives’: Chaya, 14, recovers after being shot while shielding children during Bondi terror attack
Nomi Kaltmann for Crikey: Over centuries, Jews have learnt to pay attention to moments like this. What Australia does next matters
Sarah Martin for The Guardian: Australia had the ‘gold standard’ on gun control. The Bondi beach terror attack may force it to confront its surging number of weapons
Alex McKinnon for Deepcut News: Misinformation runs rampant as Bondi mourns
Charlie Lewis for Crikey: ‘He wanted to be remembered’: Don’t give mass killers what they want
Crystal Andrews for Crikey: Andrew Bolt instantly blamed Bondi atrocity on immigration. It follows a global right-wing script
Olivia Di Iorio for SBS News: Tom Silvagni can now be named in the press. How do suppression orders work?
Naomi Klein for Equator: Surrealism Against Fascism
The good news is:
The news cycle is as grim as ever, so Cheek has promised to bring you one piece of good news each and every week.
Finding light in the dark: The many heroes of the horrific Bondi attack
It is difficult to find any silver linings in a week like this that has shocked and devastated the nation, and particularly the Jewish community. Fifteen innocent people lost their lives during a targeted antisemitic terror attack that took place during a community Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday night.
As of Thursday, 14 of those victims have been identified: 10-year-old girl Matilda (her family has chosen to withhold her surname); Sofia and Boris Gurman; Rabbi Eli Schlanger; Edith Brutman, Boris Tetleroyd, Marika Pogany, Dan Elkayam, Peter Meagher, Alexander Kleytman, Reuven Morrison, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Tibor Weitzen, and Boris Tetleroyd. Our condolences are with their families, the families of those injured, and the broader Jewish and Bondi communities.
As we often see in times of such unthinkable devastation, there is some small solace to be had in the heroic acts of individuals and the broader community, which remind us that there is still inherent good to be found in the world.
So today, as we continue to reflect on the shock, fear and deep pain reverberating across Australia in the wake of Sunday’s attack, we wanted to highlight some of the stories of those who have saved lives.
Ahmed Al Ahmed
Footage of a Syrian-Australian tackling one of the gunmen to the ground, and disarming him, was quick to circulate online in the hours after the massacre. Leaders across the world have commended the heroism and bravery of the 42-year-old father of two, who had rushed to the scene after hearing gunshots while having coffee with a friend. His acts, during which he sustained multiple gunshot wounds, undoubtedly saved countless lives. A Muslim man, he has also become a symbol of hope for those fearful that the terror attacks would fuel growing anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiment in the broader community.
Ahmed has been met with an outpouring of community support and appreciation, with more than $2.5 million raised in a Go Fund Me. The fund has received significant donations from prominent Jewish figures, including $100,000 from billionaire Bill Ackman.
Chaya Dadon
Fourteen-year-old Chaya Dadon is currently recovering in hospital after an incredible act of bravery that saw her shot in the leg while shielding two young children beneath her body. The Jewish teenager had been responding to the desperate pleas of a woman who asked her to take her children amid the chaos - in doing so, Chaya courageously left the bench she had been sheltering under with a friend to come to the children’s aid.
Her grandfather, Rabbi Yaakov Lieder, described Chaya as a “sensitive” and “gentle soul” who “always wants to make sure that nobody gets hurt”.
Boris and Sofia Gurman
Bondi locals Boris and Sofia Gurman were the first to bravely confront one of the Bondi attackers on Sunday, and they tragically lost their lives in the process. The family of the Jewish couple, both in their 60s, identified the pair attempting to disarm the gunman in dash cam footage shared online in the wake of the antisemitic attack. The family say the footage encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were: “people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others”.
A fundraiser has been set up to support the Gurman family.
Reuven Morrison
Melbourne grandfather Reueven Morrison is another who gave his life to slow down the attackers, and has been identified in footage as the man hurling a brick at the gunman disarmed by Ahmed Al Ahemd. His daughter, Sheina Gutnick, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his courageous actions were no surprise to anyone who knew him.
“I have friends who were hiding their babies under them on the ground who told me ‘your dad saved us’ because he took minutes off the shooting, he got the shooters away from the scene of people,” she said.
Jessica Rozen
Jessica Rozen is the pregnant woman who has been heralded for using her own body to shield a stranger’s three-year-old child. She had been attending the Hanukkah event with her husband and two children.
“I ran to an uncovered area when there are bullets because I am a mum and I saw a three-year-old girl, and any mum is going to do that,” she told ABC. “If you see a baby and the baby is crying and they do not have anyone and they are not safe, you help a baby.”
Jack Hibbert and Scott Dyson
Jack Hibbert and Scott Dyson are the two police officers who were critically injured in Sunday’s attack. The pair were among the first to the scene, having been on duty patrolling the park where the shooting took place.
At just 22 years old, Jack is a probationary constable who only joined the police four months ago. He ran towards the danger, sustaining bullet wounds to his shoulder and head that left him in a critical condition, being cared for in the ICU. Though he is now in a stable condition, he has lost vision in one of his eyes, and his family has stated that he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
Scott, a 25-year-old constable who has been attached to the eastern suburbs police area command for 18 months, also remains in a serious but stable condition in ICU - though the extent of his injuries has not yet been confirmed.
NSW Police Legacy is currently running fundraising appeals for both Jack and Scott’s recoveries.
Bondi’s Lifeguards
Numerous stories have been shared of the heroism of the Bondi Beach lifeguards who helped hide beachgoers from the gunfire and rushed to the scene to provide first aid. Amid the chaos, one lifeguard is reported to have swum out on a surfboard to rescue swimmers in trouble. Elsewhere, lifeguard Jackson Doolan is pictured running over from Tamarama with life-saving equipment to aid the emergency response.
The Australian public
This week, the Australian public responded quickly to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s urgent appeal for blood donations, which were urgently needed to treat the dozens of trauma patients that arrived in Sydney following the terror attack that targeted a Jewish Hanukkah event held on Bondi Beach on Sunday evening.
The result on Monday, according to a Lifeblood spokesperson, was two broken national donation records. Almost 50,000 people made an appointment to donate, more than double the previous record. Within 24 hours, a record 7,810 donations of blood, plasma and platelets were made across the country.
The overwhelming response has seen appointment donation centres across the country booked out until January, while wait times for walk-in donors blew out to four hours in some locations.
December is already a difficult period for Lifeblood, as public holidays disrupt the usual donor pool, so those who haven’t been able to secure an appointment are urged to keep looking, or to make an appointment for January. A reminder that blood has a short shelf life, and donations are needed all year round, so new donors are encouraged to become regulars!
A note that this list is by no means exhaustive, and we encourage you to continue talking about the stories of the victims, survivors, and everyday heroes.
Our question to you:
Each week, Cheek puts up a new question for our subscribers to discuss in the chat. Our favourite answer/s will be shared in the following week’s newsletter edition.
Have your say by responding to the thread in Cheek’s subscriber chat.
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION
TOP ANSWERS
From kc24:
Calibri is the superior font all round. Aptos and the way it renders in Excel with it’s weird kerning can GTFO. Times New Roman can also exit stage left with printed newspapers 😂
From Ymn:
Unfortunately I must chime in with one of my favourite fun facts: Comic sans is actually very dyslexia friendly.
But my fave is Montserrat, followed closely by Calibri/Aptos/Tahoma/Helvetica/any of the other generic sans serif baddies.
The latest from Cheek
After Bondi: In grief, we must come together
Note: the following opinion piece was written by a member of the Australian Jewish community who was not present at the Bondi terrorist attack. She does not claim to represent the views of the victims, nor represent the whole Australian Jewish community.
We are not a monolith: Why Western media must do more to reflect the true diversity of South Asian identities
Since the early 2000’s more South Asians have taken to the spotlight than I ever imagined, but too often this representation has been watered down to appeal to the Western media and its audiences, writes Nikitha Martins.
Thank you for everything Cheek has done this year!
I am sobbing reading the stories of those heroes who intervened to help at Bondi. Jessica's words hit especially hard. I'm a new mum to a 3 month old, and I can only pray that if I ever find myself unable to save her, another mum like Jessica is nearby. What an angel.