Gavin Appel

After the bombing of the synagogue in Liege, Belgium, now an attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam. This is the Global Intifada.

A man rammed a truck into a synagogue that houses a children’s daycare. Kids were inside. Don’t spin this into politics. Don’t make it about foreign policy. It’s a daycare in a Jewish community center. That should horrify everyone.

A quick war update from Israel. Last night, Hezbollah began firing missiles at Israel, and the IDF is now striking Hezbollah targets. Let’s be clear: Hezbollah is not Lebanon. Hezbollah is the Iranian regime operating inside Lebanon. The United States and Israel made the difficult decision to act now to take out Ayatollah Khamenei and much of the Islamic regime’s leadership in order to prevent a far worse war later. Waiting for the Islamic Republic to build a nuclear bomb would have been too late. Just ask North Korea. This regime is not a rational actor. When they chant “Death to America, death to Israel, death to the West,” they mean it. For nearly 50 years, they have prepared for confrontation. At home, they impose gender apartheid and execute protesters. Abroad, they export terror, arm proxies, and work to expand their reach. So here is the question for the world: Do we let them choose the timing, or do we? Do we act while the regime is weakened and its nuclear program in ruins, or do we wait for it to regroup and rush toward a bomb? That is the choice. Here in Israel, we are listening to Home Front Command, sheltering from Iranian missiles, and praying for the brave Iranians who want freedom and for the men and women fighting this regime — not just for Israel, but for everyone who refuses to live under the shadow of a nuclear-armed extremist regime. Am Yisrael Chai. Happy Purim.

I've worked alongside @stuartwmcleod since 2015 from his first exit to @Xero through to founding @karbonhq. Over that time, he’s consistently shown why he has one of the sharpest product minds in the accounting world. His latest essay is essential reading, long, but worth it 👇

Thinking on where we were on October 7, and how the region looks now. When we say the people of Israel are alive, this is what we mean. Am Israel Chai 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱

I don’t care where you’ve been, but I urge you to stand with Iranians now.

By leading a chant of “All Zionists are terrorists”, Melbourne Palestinian activist Hash Tayeh incited hatred against Jews among his fellow protesters, VCAT has found. #Echobox=1772101171-1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">theage.com.au/politics/victo…

On October 9th, just two days after October 7th, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, crowds gathered on the steps of the Sydney Opera House chanting calls to gas Jews. To everyone who stood there that day, this is my response, loud and clear: Am Yisrael Chai.

The first vlog for 2026 is live! 🎥 🍿 👇

This month on In Venture, @gavinappel and I step into 2026 like it’s Game 7. From December through mid-February, the scoreboard is flashing. 💰Funding Is Back 🤑VCs Sitting On Dry Powder EVP 🚀 Tesla invests 🏃People Moves The game has changed. The serious players stayed on court. Tune in 🎯

“We are one big family, and when one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain,” President Isaac Herzog said at a wreath-laying ceremony Monday morning at the site of the Bondi Beach massacre, where Islamic terrorists killed 15 people in December. jpost.com/diaspora/artic…

I remember the first time I ever saw this footage. It's stuck with me ever since as an incredible example of human goodness.

843 days since October 7, 2023, and we can finally breathe again. After so much pain, they are ALL finally home.

843 days. It's over. Ran is home.

We didn’t leave any🎗 behind 🙏🏽 שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Twenty five days after the Bondi massacre the Prime Minister has called a Commonwealth Royal Commission.  I welcome the announcement and thank every Australian who advocated for it. The Royal Commission is an opportunity to reset, rebuild and repair our nation. I look forward to contributing to the Commission's work. A Royal Commission is a vehicle for change but is not a guarantee of change. To be effective it must shine a light on the darkest of places, expose the individuals, their motivations and the ideology that is driving the hate and provide a roadmap with practical recommendations to take us all forward. It must be fiercely independent, rigorous, trusted and transparent. The bar is high.  The stakes are higher. Nothing less than reform across society will do. It is a tragic reality that antisemitism has become normalised in Australia. It is a cancer that must be rooted out.  The murder of fifteen innocent people at Bondi Beach did not occur in a vacuum.  It was a predictable product of negligence and indifference to the rising tide of hate, harassment and violence experienced by the Australian Jewish community since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.  There must be more education, more deradicalisation, greater law enforcement and better leadership.  To protect our democracy, we must promote our democracy and the Australian values of tolerance, understanding and a fair go.  This is not about politics, it has never been about politics. It is about securing a better future, a brighter future, a safer future for all Australians. This is why thousands of Australians from all walks of life and from every corner of our nation, joined with the families of the victims and took the unprecedented action to call on the Prime Minister to establish a Royal Commission.  Now that a Royal Commission into antisemitism and the events leading up to the Bondi massacre has been established, Australians have their first real opportunity to get the answers they deserve and the solutions they need. We are all heavily invested in making this Royal Commission a success. The future of our country depends on it.

In all the major papers today, thousands of Australians have put their names to the demand Albanese call a Royal Commission into the antisemitism that culminated in Bondi. I’m grateful to every single person calling for action - and to those who helped organise this initiative including my good friend Danny Berkovic.

On 14 December, every Australian’s life changed. The terror attack at Bondi Beach — a senseless act of hate that claimed 15 innocent lives and injured many more both physically and psychologically was a result of the fraying of social cohesion and the growth in antisemitism over recent years. It was a moment that shocked the nation and demands more than expressions of sympathy. In response, a grassroots initiative has been launched Bondi Response (bondiresponse.com) — bringing together Australians from across the community to call for a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the events leading up to the terrorist attack and the broader rise of antisemitism and violent extremism. Why this matters: •⁠ ⁠This was not random violence — it was an act of hate directed at a community celebrating Chanukah by the sea. •⁠ ⁠Words of condolence are important, unfortunately they are not enough. Action must follow. •⁠ ⁠A Commonwealth Royal Commission provides the most credible, transparent and unifying pathway to understand what went wrong, learn from it, and help prevent future tragedies. We are raising awareness to ensure this message reaches policymakers, opinion leaders and the broader public through coordinated national advertising. If you believe Australia deserves stronger leadership and a safer future: 👉 Add your name to the open letter and help support a national media campaign calling for a Federal Royal Commission 👉 Sharing with your network will maximise the impact Let’s ensure this moment leads to meaningful change — together anything is possible.

Aussie swimming legend Dawn Fraser becomes emotional as she chronicles the horrors of hate that have been imported into Australia and slams the cowardice of the Albanese govt. ‘And when I see people with such disrespect burning our flag that I competed under. That soldiers fought under and many that lost their lives under. You can be damn sure I will speak up because these people don’t deserve to live in this great country.’ We need to confront radical Islamic extremism now before it’s too late. God bless you Dawn 🙌

Today at Bondi beach Australian sporting legend Dawn Fraser gave a speech for the ages. It will echo from the corridors of Canberra to the breakfast tables of Balmain. She specifically called out the lack of leadership from our Government and called on the Prime Minister’s to do the ‘right thing’ and call a Royal Commission into antisemitism and the events leading up to the Bondi massacre. She said: “Today I have flown to Sydney with my daughter for the sole reason to stand in unity with my fellow Australian Athletes to show my support for the Jewish community and to say: I’M SO VERY SORRY for my country and its leaders not protecting each and every one of you and your families, wonderful people that chose to come to this country and live in safety, peace, and inclusion, but on 14 December 2025 we failed you. In the 88 years of my life, living, loving, and representing this truly great country, I have NEVER seen so much hate and division, and this breaks my heart. We have always been a country of inclusion, diversity, and love, but unfortunately, that has disappeared. I will stand with anyone that loves my country, that respects my country, that wants to see my country prosper. I will also call out people that have done the wrong thing and who have not stood up for this great country. And to you, Anthony Albanese, Tony Burke, Penny Wong, come down off your high horse and stop trying to run for cover. If the Jewish community is calling for a royal commission, then do the right thing by this community that has suffered enough. This is not about the spineless and weak; it’s about doing the right thing.” To read Dawn Fraser’s full speech see 👇