Israeli President Isaac Herzog has laid a wreath and two stones from Jerusalem at Bondi Beach, the site of a shooting that targeted a Jewish festival in December, at the start of a controversial visit.
When one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain, he said, adding he was there to embrace and console the bereaved families.
Security has been tight for the four-day visit during which he will also travel to Canberra and Melbourne and meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Senior Jewish leaders have said the trip will comfort a grieving community, but others have said he should not have been invited due to allegations he has incited genocide in Gaza.
The president was invited by Albanese after the shooting at Bondi, in which 15 people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, at an event celebrating Hanukkah.
The prime minister has said the visit will contribute to social cohesion and a greater sense of unity after the Bondi attack, but the visit is expected to be met with nationwide protests, including one in central Sydney on Monday evening.
Organisers have said 5,000 people will attend the protest, which is expected to take place despite restrictions on protests brought in by the New South Wales government after the Bondi attack.
The Palestine Action Group was on Monday also challenging a decision by the state government to invoke rarely used major event powers during Herzog's visit, which give police additional powers, including the ability to close specific locations, the right to search people, and the imposing of fines of up to $5,500 for non-compliance.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chair executive of Australia's peak Jewish body, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, on Monday said Herzog's visit was warmly welcomed. For the victim families and for the survivors of the Bondi attack, it means a great deal, he said.
Critics, however, argue that Herzog's presence perpetuates a dangerous conflation between Jewish identity and the actions of the Israeli state. A letter organized by the Jewish Council of Australia and signed by 600 Australian Jews condemned the visit.
Herzog's visit comes at a time of heightened tensions, with a UN commission concluding last year that he was among Israeli leaders who had incited the commission of genocide in their speeches and statements concerning Gaza.
As protests arise, questions about the appropriateness of his visit amidst claims of genocide and rising antisemitism loom large in public discourse.
