Jewish LGBTQIA+ Group Dayenu Withdraw From Mardi Gras Parade

Sydney Jewish LGBTQIA+ group Dayenu have withdrawn from the 2026 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, citing antisemitism and safety concerns.

The Dayenu Committee made the announcement with a “heavy heart” following alleged police violence at the Town Hall protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday, where 27 protesters were arrested and dozens more injured.

A spokesperson for the group told The Jewish Independent that the organisation had been considering withdrawing from the March since the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14, where 15 people died and more than 40 injured in an antisemitic attack on a Hanukkah event.

The alleged attempted terror attack at a Perth Invasion Day rally last week convinced the committee it would be safer not to march.

Group thankful for support of Mardi Gras organisers

It’s not the first time Dayenu have reconsidered their participation in Mardi Gras. In 2024, following an open letter sent by then-CEO Gil Beckwith in support of an immediate ceasefire in Palestine, the group voiced concerns for members’ safety, saying it was “disappointing” Mardi Gras hadn’t consulted them prior to publishing the letter.

“Dayenu would like to remind our LGBTQIA+ community that Israel offers sanctuary and continues to offer sanctuary to members of our community fleeing oppression and indeed the death penalty at the hands of the internationally recognised terrorist group Hamas within Palestine,” a spokesperson told The Australian at the time. “The rights of the LGBTQIA+ community in Israel are set in law.”

The group also cited the pro-Palestine movement in Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community, including the actions of six protesters who crashed the Parade route near the Rainbow Labor float in 2024, setting off flares and carrying a banner reading “Queer Solidarity with Palestinian Resistance”

“It caused a volunteer to have an asthma attack and have to be hospitalised,” a spokesperson said. “We worry for the general public, we worry for the participants, we worry for the volunteers, and we’re even worried about the police.”

Dayenu said they “hold dear” their 26-year relationship with Mardi Gras was strong, and “choose ignore the small minority within our LGBTQIA+ community who seek to do harm and cultivate hate and exclusion.”

“We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from Mardi Gras who are inclusive of Dayenu and assist us to protect our members in an often hateful and dangerous climate for all Jews.”