A horrific mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach has left 15 people dead and more than three dozen injured, severely shaking the sense of security for Australia's Jewish population. The attack, carried out by a father and son duo reportedly motivated by Islamic State ideology, has turned a place of celebration into one of mourning and profound grief.
A Community in Mourning After Festival Turned Tragic
The vibrant scene from September last year, when over 1,400 people celebrated the opening of a new synagogue and community center in Bondi, stood in stark contrast to the desolation this week. Following the attack, flowers lined the gates of the Chabad of Bondi center, which helped organize the festival. The street was empty save for police and security guards, with community members occasionally dropping off supplies in a somber show of support.
Sreuvi Lazarus, 42, who prays at the center and was present during the shooting, described the event as "horrific." "There're no words to describe the events and the pain that a lot of people are going through," she said. The local branch of the global Chabad organization was deeply affected, losing two of its leaders. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, known as the "Bondi Rabbi," and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, the center's general manager, were among those killed.
Rabbi Schlanger, a chaplain for hospitals and prisons, is survived by his wife and five young children, including a two-month-old baby. A friend, Noach Koncepolski, remembered him as someone who responded to adversity "always with positivity, light and doubling down."
Frustration Over Unheeded Warnings on Rising Antisemitism
As the community cares for the injured and mourns its dead, a strong undercurrent of frustration has emerged. Many feel authorities failed to act on repeated warnings about a sharp increase in antisemitic sentiment since the latest Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. This is particularly jarring in a nation long viewed as a successful model of multiculturalism.
The data supports their concerns. A report from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry recorded 1,654 antisemitic incidents in the 12 months from October 2024 through September 2025. This figure is roughly three times the total of any year before the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Previous incidents include anti-Israel demonstrations at the Sydney Opera House, the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue, and a blaze at a kosher food business in Sydney—the latter two blamed by authorities on Iran.
Paul Baram, 66, a Bondi area resident, expressed a grim foresight shared by many. "None of this is of any surprise to the Jewish community," he said while visiting a memorial. "We were dreading this. But unfortunately, I personally thought it's a matter of when, not if."
Questions on Response and a Resolve to Fight Darkness with Light
Some in the community have questioned whether the police response to the shooting, which lasted several minutes, could have been faster given a police station is located nearby. Officials have defended the officers' actions, stating they engaged the attackers with handguns and that two injured officers were shot from the front.
There is also political criticism. Julian Leeser, a Jewish opposition parliamentarian, stated, "There's anger in the community... because the question for governments is, have they done all they can to deal with antisemitism? And I think overwhelmingly the answer is no in relation to the federal government." While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he acted on recommendations from a report on antisemitism and that an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on all, many feel progress has been too slow.
Despite the darkness, the community's resolve echoes the message of Hanukkah itself. Rabbi Eli Feldman, another Chabad rabbi in Sydney who is hosting grieving parents from the U.S., visited the Bondi memorial and the injured in hospital. He noted that Bondi Beach, once "like heaven on earth," had been tragically transformed. Yet, he affirmed, "The message of Hanukkah is to increase in light, and these people have come to spread darkness. We're going to fight darkness with light."
Australia's Jewish community, numbering about 117,000 nationally with 44,000 in Sydney, has been part of the nation's fabric for centuries. The attack in Bondi—a hub with Jewish eateries, synagogues, and a diverse mix of immigrants—has struck at the heart of this long-standing community, prompting a national reckoning on safety and hate.
