Two gunmen, a father and son, opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, killing 15 people, including a child.
On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labeled a massacre at a beach in a Jewish community as antisemitic terrorism. Despite rising antisemitic attacks in Australia over the past year, authorities affirm there is no link to prior incidents.
The shooting is the deadliest in nearly three decades in a country with strict gun control laws. A 50-year-old gunman was shot dead by police, while his 24-year-old son was wounded and hospitalized. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon stated that one gunman was known to security services, but there was no indication of a planned attack.
The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87, and at least 38 others were injured, according to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns. Prime Minister Albanese called the incident an “act of pure evil, antisemitism, and terrorism” that struck Bondi Beach, a place usually associated with joy and family celebrations.
Violence broke out at Bondi Beach during the “Chanukah by the Sea” event, which celebrated the start of Hanukkah with activities like face painting and a petting zoo. The chaos intensified when Chabad confirmed that Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, was among the victims.
Local news reported on Monday that Alexander Kleytman, husband of Holocaust survivor Larisa Kleytman, was among the deceased. Police said emergency services were called around 6:45 p.m. due to gunfire. Videos showed people in bathing suits fleeing the water as two men with long guns were seen on a footbridge.
A clip on Australian television showed a man tackling and disarming a gunman, then placing the weapon on the ground. Minns praised the man, identified as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, calling him a “genuine hero.”
Arsen Ostrovsky, a lawyer who moved from Israel to Australia two weeks ago, was grazed by a bullet while attending a Hanukkah ceremony with his family. In a hospital email, he described the event as “pure evil” and “an absolute bloodbath,” expressing disbelief that such violence could occur in Australia.
Lachlan Moran, 32, from Melbourne, heard gunshots while waiting for his family and rushed toward the sound. He saw chaos as people fled in tears. Prime Minister Albanese responded by calling for national unity and urging support for Jewish Australians.
Australia, with a population of 28 million, has about 117,000 Jews. Following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents—such as assaults, vandalism, and threats—more than tripled. This increase was reported by the government’s special envoy for antisemitism, Jillian Segal, in July.
Last year, Australia faced a rise in antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, where synagogues were burned, cars damaged, and Jewish individuals assaulted. These cities contain 85% of the country’s Jewish population. In August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed Iran for two attacks and cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.
Pastor Matt Graham of Bondi Anglican Church noted that panicked people sought refuge during a service, highlighting growing antisemitism in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, including Bondi. Israel has urged the Australian government to take action against such crimes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Australian leaders about the dangers of ignoring antisemitism, claiming it could have serious consequences. He criticized the government for not addressing the issue, which has led to violent attacks on Jews. Police Commissioner Lanyon also confirmed that no additional suspects are being sought in connection with the massacre.
Police have vowed to conduct a thorough investigation after two improvised explosive devices were found and safely neutralized by bomb disposal experts. Lanyon described the devices as “rudimentary,” noting they could be detonated with a wick. Minns suggested that gun laws may change following the massacre.
A 50-year-old gunman, shot dead by police, was found with six firearms at the property where he had been staying. Questions about how he acquired the weapons increased on Monday, as mass shootings are sporadic in Australia.
In 1996, a gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, leading the government to enforce stricter gun laws. Significant mass shootings in this century include two murder-suicides: one in 2014 with five deaths and another in 2018 with seven, where gunmen killed their families before taking their own lives.
Acts 7:49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The price was the blood of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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