The Global Jewish Community: Light Amid the Darkness of Tragedy

The world's Jewish community mourns the mass shooting at Bondi Beach on the Jewish holiday.

People gather for the world’s largest Menorah lighting ceremony in New York, New York, USA, 14 December 2025. The event comes after several people were killed in a terrorist attack on 14 December at a Jewish celebration at Australia's Bondi Beach. Source: EPA / OLGA FEDOROVA/EPA

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The Global Jewish Community: Light Amid the Darkness of Tragedy

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07:30Indonesian

A mass shooting during Hanukkah celebrations in Bondi Beach, Australia, has sparked a global wave of shock and grief.

The Jewish diaspora and its supporters around the world hold joint prayers as a form of resistance to hatred, stressing that the festival of Hanukkah symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness.

Israeli leaders, including Jewish Agency CEO Judah Setton and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed solidarity and a call for decisive action against antisemitism, while the Israeli parliament (Knesset) was illuminated in tribute.

A rabbi addressing mourners at a makeshift memorial at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Source: AAP / MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE

Condemnation of this attack came from various world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, to UN spokesmen.

The incident further highlighted rising antisemitism, prompting rabbis around the world to call for Jews to be “more Jewish” in response.

Security was tightened at Hanukkah celebrations in Europe, and the European Parliament was heckled.

Flowers at the site where two gunmen opened fire at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Monday, December 15, 2025. Source: AAP / DEAN LEWINS/AAPIMAGE

In this tragedy, the story of heroism, as shown by shopkeeper Ahmed who disarmed one of the unarmed attackers, becomes a symbol of courage shining through the darkness.

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