Amal Stands with Sydney’s Jewish Community After Bondi Beach Attack
Amal Educational Network expresses its deepest shock and sorrow at the horrific antisemitic attack that took place during a public Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where gunmen opened fire on Jews gathered to welcome the first night of the festival of light, killing at least 16 people and wounding dozens more. What should have been an evening of joy and hope, “Chanukah by the Sea,” became one of the darkest moments Australian Jewry has faced in decades and one more painful chapter in the long story of violence against our people.
From our schools and classrooms across Israel, our principals, teachers, students and graduates are united in grief with our brothers and sisters in Sydney, including Amal alumni who now call Australia home. We send heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, wishes for a full recovery to the wounded, and strength to the Australian Jewish community as it confronts loss, trauma and fear in the heart of its public Jewish life.
As part of the Jewish people, we know that we have endured darker days and greater dangers. The pain we feel when Jews are attacked anywhere in the world is the pain of shared peoplehood, and that peoplehood, rooted in mutual responsibility and love of one another, is stronger than b
ullets, hatred and terror.
Hanukkah teaches that even a small, fragile light can overcome deep darkness, and that miracles are born when courage, faith and solidarity meet. In this spirit, Amal remains committed to educating a new generation in the values of human dignity, Jewish identity, civic responsibility and a shared society, so that our response to hatred will always be more connection, more empathy and more determination to build a better future.
In these difficult days, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Australian Jewish community, with Jewish communities everywhere, and with all people of goodwill who refuse to surrender to antisemitism and terror. May the memory of the victims be a blessing, may the injured be healed, and may the lights of Hanukkah bring some measure of comfort and renewed strength to Sydney, to Israel and to the entire Jewish world.
Chag Hanukkah Sameach – Am Yisrael Chai.