{"id":68246,"date":"2026-08-09T14:37:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T14:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/68246\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T14:37:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T14:37:53","slug":"bankstown-nurses-trial-max-ilinsky-to-give-evidence-in-sydney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/68246\/","title":{"rendered":"Bankstown nurses trial: Max Ilinsky to give evidence in Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israeli influencer Max Ilinsky has announced he will be flown to Australia and escorted by police to a Sydney courtroom to testify against two former nurses who allegedly threatened to kill Israeli patients.<\/p>\n

Mr Ilinsky \u2013 known online as Max Veifer \u2013 made global headlines last year after he recorded Bankstown nurses Sarah Abu Lebdeh and Ahmad Rashad Nadir allegedly threatening violence against Israeli patients at Bankstown Hospital. <\/p>\n

In the video, Mr Nadir allegedly suggested he had sent Israeli patients to \u201chell\u201d while Ms Abu Lebdeh allegedly claimed she would \u201ckill\u201d Israelis rather than treat them.<\/p>\n

On Sunday morning, he revealed his plan to travel to Sydney and give evidence at the nurses\u2019 criminal trial, set to begin on August 31.<\/p>\n

In a video shared on social media, the Israeli announced he would be \u201cflying across the world to walk into an Australian courtroom and testify as a witness for the prosecution\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMillions of people saw (the video)<\/a> and now I have officially been called to Australia to testify in person,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be there for almost a full week. The Australian authorities are covering my flights, hotels, meals, police transport and police presence at the court, and I\u2019m truly grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite revealing he would be escorted to and from the courtroom by police, Mr Ilinsky said he was concerned about his safety and asked the Jewish community for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be completely honest with you, I\u2019m still worried about my safety. Over the past year, I\u2019ve received many threats because of my public work. People know my face, people know my name,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd after everything that has happened recently in Australia and with antisemitism rising around the world and in Australia, I\u2019m not taking any chances. We Jews have survived for thousands of years. We learned how to protect ourselves, protect each other and never take our safety for granted. So I\u2019m going to do exactly that,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be as protected as possible from the moment I land, until the moment I leave. For any time not covered by the official security arrangements, I want extra licensed security with me. And that\u2019s why today I\u2019m asking for your help. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Jewish community in Australia, I need you. I need this video to reach Jewish community leaders, recognised Jewish organisations, community security groups, and licensed security companies that can help arrange extra protection. Everything must be professional. Everything must be licensed. Everything must be co-ordinated with the NSW Police \u2026 help me go there safely and come home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Ilinsky concluded the video by reaffirming his commitment to testifying against the nurses.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of this month, I\u2019m getting on that plane, I\u2019m going to Australia, I\u2019m walking into the courtroom, and I\u2019m going to do exactly what I\u2019ve been asked to do: answer every question honestly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I want is for the truth to be heard and for justice to be done. The court will decide the rest. Let\u2019s go in peace and come home in peace. See you in Australia. Am Israel chai (which means the people of Israel live).\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Ilinsky\u2019s announcement came less than two weeks after the NSW Supreme Court overturned a Local Court judge\u2019s decision to exclude the video from evidence. Judge Judge Michael McHugh SC in June declared the viral clip was inadmissable<\/a> and could not form part of the evidence against the nurses, as it was unlawful for Mr Ilinsky to have recorded and shared the private conversation.<\/p>\n

\"Lawyers<\/p>\n

Two weeks after the controversial decision was handed down, the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions lodged an appeal with the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal to overturn it.<\/p>\n

On July 31, Supreme Court judges Anthony Payne and James Emmett and Chief Judge at Common Law Natalie Adams granted the prosecution\u2019s appeal, overturning Judge McHugh\u2019s decision to rule the video out of evidence.<\/p>\n

With the video reintroduced into evidence, the prosecution will be able to use both the footage and Mr Ilinsky\u2019s testimony in their case against the nurses when their trial begins on August 31.<\/p>\n

The former Bankstown Hospital nurses have both pleaded not guilty <\/a>to using a carriage \u00adservice to menace, harass or offend, and Ms Abu Lebdeh has pleaded not guilty to an \u00adadditional charge of threatening violence to a group.<\/p>\n

They have been stood down from their jobs by NSW Health and issued a two-year ban from working with NDIS participants.<\/p>\n

\"Bimini<\/a><\/p>\n

Bimini Plesser is a reporter for The Australian\u2019s Sydney bureau. She previously worked as a cadet, writing for The Courier-Mail, The Australian\u2019s Brisbane bureau and the Sunshine Coast Daily. Bimini holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Queensland. She can be contacted at bimini.plesser@news.com.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israeli influencer Max Ilinsky has announced he will be flown to Australia and escorted by police to a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[42924,89484,37747,89477,89504,44275,89500,89499,89487,89470,45833,41743,89460,89468,89475,67718,89451,42,89458,49091,6466,89459,23,25713,89498,89445,89490,89491,89448,15200,4056,39649,38562,10485,89505,73159,89447,89472,89481,5291,89449,45551,42391,39882,52,8025,1703,1554,25710,89492,22729,41,89473,89483,89467,89474,89476,81278,36788,3198,38447,55100,89497,89462,21257,20749,31753,44590,36526,89457,89502,89485,39394,89464,89446,89465,58891,89461,10071,21700,89489,89496,3121,6259,7350,38257,1047,1061,89479,40697,106,89486,247,89450,89494,89463,89501,89466,39856,40672,38263,38273,44304,89456,89488,48228,37772,89478,89503,89453,89480,89493,51809,37324,89454,49256,38553,38813,37494,89455,37120,65150,67797,89469,89482,37793,89471,17467,31666,89444,89495,7944,89452,31772,40484],"class_list":["post-68246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sydney","tag-s-announcement","tag-s-appeal","tag-s-decision","tag-s-testimony","tag-hell","tag-a-carriage-service","tag-a-group-they","tag-a-local-court-judge","tag-a-sydney-courtroom","tag-a-two-year-ban","tag-a-video","tag-a-witness","tag-almost-a-full-week","tag-am-israel-chai","tag-an-additional-charge","tag-an-appeal","tag-an-australian-courtroom","tag-antisemitism","tag-any-chances","tag-any-time","tag-august","tag-august-31-the","tag-australia","tag-bankstown-hospital","tag-bankstown-nurses-sarah-abu-lebdeh-and-ahmad-rashad-nadir","tag-chief-judge","tag-common-law-natalie-adams","tag-community-security-groups","tag-criminal-appeal","tag-criminal-trial","tag-death-threats","tag-each-other","tag-every-question","tag-evidence","tag-evidence-with","tag-exactly-that","tag-extra-licensed-security","tag-extra-protection","tag-former-bankstown-hospital-nurses","tag-global-headlines","tag-harass-or-offend","tag-his-commitment","tag-his-plan","tag-his-safety","tag-home","tag-hotels","tag-influencer","tag-israel","tag-israeli-influencer","tag-israeli-influencer-max-ilinsky","tag-israeli-patients","tag-israelis","tag-it-on","tag-jewish-community-leaders","tag-jewish-organisations","tag-judge-judge-michael-mchugh-sc","tag-judge-mchugh","tag-july-31","tag-june","tag-justice","tag-last-year","tag-less-than-two-weeks","tag-licensed-security-companies","tag-many-threats","tag-max-veifer","tag-meals","tag-menace","tag-millions","tag-morning","tag-mr-ilinsky","tag-mr-nadir","tag-ms-abu-lebdeh","tag-my-face","tag-my-flights","tag-my-name","tag-my-public-work","tag-my-safety","tag-ndis-participants","tag-nsw-health","tag-nurses","tag-nurses-trial","tag-our-safety","tag-part","tag-peace","tag-people","tag-person","tag-police","tag-police-presence","tag-police-transport","tag-public-prosecutions","tag-social-media","tag-supreme-court-judges-anthony-payne-and-james-emmett","tag-sydney","tag-that-plane","tag-the-alleged-threats-video","tag-the-australian-authorities","tag-the-commonwealth-department","tag-the-controversial-decision","tag-the-court","tag-the-courtroom","tag-the-end","tag-the-evidence","tag-the-footage","tag-the-former-bankstown-hospital-nurses","tag-the-israeli","tag-the-jewish-community","tag-the-moment","tag-the-nsw-court","tag-the-nsw-police","tag-the-nsw-supreme-court","tag-the-nurses","tag-the-official-security-arrangements","tag-the-past-year","tag-the-people","tag-the-private-conversation-lawyers","tag-the-prosecution","tag-the-rest","tag-the-truth","tag-the-video","tag-the-viral-clip","tag-the-world","tag-their-case","tag-their-jobs","tag-their-trial","tag-them-on-sunday","tag-this-month","tag-this-video","tag-thousands","tag-today","tag-trial-two-weeks","tag-two-former-nurses","tag-violence","tag-we-jews","tag-years","tag-your-help"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\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