Terrorists opened fire on over a thousand Jews marking the opening night of Hanukkah on Australia’s Bondi Beach in Sydney, killing at least eleven people.
Chabad of Bondi had organized a event called “Chanukah by the Sea” that has been a tradition for decades. It had been going on for a little over an hour when two gunmen opened fire, causing the crowd to scatter. According to the local Chabad, there was a long police response time, so long that the terrorists had sufficient time to reload and keep shooting. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was assistant rabbi at the Chabad, was among those killed.
There were two gunmen, including one who was heroically disarmed by a bystander who was shown in a video sneaking up behind the gunman, jumping on his back, and ripping a long gun out of his hands.
One suspect was eventually killed by police and another was arrested.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared the event an act of terrorism and acknowledged that it was “a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first night of Hanukkah.”
Like many Jewish communities in the world, Australia has been under constant threat, with synagogues being burned and Jewish homes being vandalized. The event itself was an act of defiance by Australian Jews, a demonstration that they would not let fear deter them from practicing their faith, which was a message of Rabbi Schlanger, who was among those killed.