JERUSALEM, Israel – Two days after the Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, Australia, Jewish communities around the world and their supporters are gathering to show their concern for the victims of the worst terror attack there in nearly thirty years. Jewish groups are also calling for greater security and vigilance.
Thousands of Australians gathered on Monday to mourn the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.
One mourner said, “I was just really, really shocked from yesterday. It was really terrifying for all of the Jews, all around the world, even.”
Another said, “All it is is hate. It’s just purely two people that came down to Bondi yesterday with the intent of killing Jews.”
Jewish communities also held vigils in Manchester, England; London; and Boulder, Colorado, the site of an anti-Semitic attack in June, when a man hurled a Molotov cocktail at people demonstrating in support of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. That attack killed an 82-year-old woman and injured seven others
They came to the vigils to light the second candle of Hanukkah, the Celebration of Light.
In Colorado, a vigil participant said, “Five hundred-plus people came out in Boulder, where there was a terrorist attack right here, and we’re sharing our light, we’re standing strong, we’re standing proud as a Jewish community, and we are going to fight the darkness with light. We’re going to share a little bit of the light with a spell of a lot of darkness.”
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At Bondi Beach, Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, attended the memorial.
He declared, “For the last four years, I was very clear – was very clear – about the dangers of the rise in anti-Semitism. My public statements mentioned it and I shared my concerns about the rise in general and after October the 7th (2023) in particular.”
Some Jewish leaders said the writing was on the wall.
One observed, “Graffiti – there was attempted arson. And he (the ambassador) came and showed his support. And he’s been talking very loudly and very clearly this entire year for anyone who could listen, that what started off with graffiti is going to end up with bodies. And it’s exactly what’s happened.”
He continued, “And no one can say they weren’t on. I also want to say, because my ambassador said it, the Jewish community said it. Our leadership was saying it, Rabbi Wolf was saying, everyone was saying it, and no one was listening.”
Australian officials say ISIS fueled the attack.
Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett noted, “Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a father and son. There is no evidence to suggest other individuals were involved in this attack; however, we caution that this could change, given it is early in our investigation.”
Several major Jewish organizations are now calling for increased security following the Sydney shootings. The World Jewish Congress and Jewish Federations of North America expressed solidarity with Australian Jews and urged heightened vigilance at Jewish institutions worldwide.
Their message: this was not an isolated incident, and protecting the Jewish communities must now be treated as a national and global priority.
One Jewish Australian sent his own message. “Wear your kippah. Wear your Star of David. Be proud.”
He added, “Be proud of who you are. Don’t water down your identity for the sake of being scared of what other people are going to say or do. But in addition, what Rabbi Eli would say is that not just for Jews, but for every single Australian, be more godly. Act it. We’re created in the image of God. Let’s all act in the images of God. Let’s love each other, let’s care for each other.”
