In a horrific attack that has sent shockwaves through global Jewish communities, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing fifteen people including a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. The assault occurred Sunday evening as approximately 1,000 attendees gathered for the public event organized by Chabad of Bondi.
UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis revealed his cousin and cousin’s wife survived by hiding beneath a doughnut stand during fifteen minutes of terror as people around them were shot dead. Rabbi Mirvis, who will travel to Sydney in response to the tragedy, emphasized that the victims were targeted solely for gathering publicly as Jewish people.
The attackers have been identified by Australian media as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who died at the scene, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, currently hospitalized in critical condition. Verified footage shows hundreds of panicked attendees fleeing the beach as volleys of gunshots rang out.
Rabbi Mirvis connected the violence to what he termed ‘toxic antisemitism,’ specifically criticizing the normalization of rhetoric that demonizes Jewish people and the only Jewish state. He pointed to chants like ‘globalize the intifada’ as directly inciting hatred that manifests in violent actions.
The Community Security Trust (CST), which arranges security for UK Jewish communities, reported record levels of anti-Jewish hate crimes following the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. CST’s head of policy Dave Rich noted the Bondi attack represents ‘the extreme end of this political spectrum,’ drawing connections between violent rhetoric and physical violence.
In a show of solidarity, UK Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones traveled to Manchester to celebrate Hanukkah with survivors of September’s Heaton Park synagogue attack that left two Jewish victims dead. She emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring Jewish communities can safely observe their traditions.
The tragedy occurred during Hanukkah, which commemorates Jewish defiance against religious persecution over 2,150 years ago. Rabbi Mirvis noted the bitter irony that the festival’s message of refusing to be intimidated or erased was met with ‘murderous hatred’ in Sydney.