20,000 ‘Reclaim’ Bondi Beach With Defiant Pledge to Increase Light

by Motti Wilhelm – chabad.org

“I stand here tonight to say, loud and clear, that darkness does not get the final word,” declared Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi. It was Sunday evening, the eighth and final light of Chanukah. Before him stood 20,000 people. They’d all come together on Bondi Beach, the same exact place where just one week earlier a brutal terror attack claimed the lives of 15 people and left more than 40 wounded.

Among the victims of the attack was Rabbi Ulman’s son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who served as junior rabbi at Chabad of Bondi. At the heartrending funeral, Rabbi Ulman pledged to return to Bondi and kindle the menorah once again, and there he was. Sunday had also been designated as a “National Day of Reflection” in Australia in response to the attack, and so the event drew thousands, including senior dignitaries, to stand in collective remembrance and resolve.

The beach was under heavy security ahead of the event, with hundreds of police personnel, including snipers, securing the area. On their end, Chabad rabbis and students provided spiritual protection by offering passerby the chance to don tefillin and receive a menorah kit to kindle at home.

Lining the front-row seats were Chabad rabbis, colleagues of Rabbi Schlanger and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, who had also been murdered in the attack; leaders of the Australian Jewish community; and political leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, home affairs minister Tony Burke, Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Coalition leader Sussan Ley, federal government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal, New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns, NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane, and former Australian prime ministers John Howard and Scott Morrison.

The evening began with a musical tribute for each of the 15 victims. Psalms were recited by Rabbi Pinchus Feldman OAM, head of Chabad NSW, and Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. “Kel Maleh Rachamim,” the traditional prayer for the deceased, was offered by Rabbi Yehuda Niasoff, cantor at Sydney’s Central Synagogue, followed by an English translation by Rabbi Shua Solomon, president of the Rabbinical Council of NSW. Rabbi Nochum Shapiro of Chabad of North Shore offered a prayer for the recovery of those wounded in the attack.

“Present here this evening are also many immediate family members and friends of those who were cruelly murdered at this very place exactly a week ago,” said David Ossip, president of the NSW Board of Jewish Deputies, after acknowledging the dignitaries. “Your courage and your resilience inspire us, and we are sending our love and our prayers to you at this time.”

On behalf of the Jewish community, Ossip issued a public “thank you” to Ahmed Al-Ahmed, who bravely disarmed one of the Bondi gunmen during the attack. He also relayed a message Ahmed had asked to share: “‘The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.’ Today, I stand with you, my brothers and sisters.”

Ossip shared the shock and dismay of Australian Jews—and the entire country—that such an attack could have taken place, and called for a commission of inquiry into the attack and its lead-up. He concluded with a powerful statement: “I should just say that if you have not realized it yet: the terrorist picked the wrong community to mess with because we, the Jewish people, are unbreakable. Resilience is in our veins!”

Mostyn, the governor general of Australia, shared her own condemnation of the attack and that of King Charles, whom she represents.

Representing Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky of Merkos 302 brought a message of hope on behalf of Chabad emissaries everywhere. “We are here with you!,” Kotlarsky said. “We stand with you; we cry with you; we ache with you! And we bless you with comfort, with strength, faith and resilience.”

Kotlarsky shared with the Sydney crowd of the more than 20,000 about Chanukah events being held worldwide, and of the countless mitzvot being done by Jews around the world, people showing up to do it “for Sydney.”

“We are not going to say ‘never again,’ we are going to do never again!” he declared.

Co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, spoke of his decade of lighting the menorah at the “Chanukah at the Sea” event led by Rabbi Schlanger.

“I didn’t know I was putting us all in harm’s way,” he said. “But I will not hide who I am, an Australian and a Jew—for that would be a price too great. So I have chosen to return to stand again on that now-sacred ground, on the first night of Chanukah next year, together with my three daughters, and kindle the light and praise the Almighty, proudly as an Australian and a Jew, because I know that’s exactly what my friend Eli would have wanted.”

A musical interlude, led by Cantor Rabbi Menachem Feldman of the Great Synagogue, featured two poignant selections: Ani Ma’amin, which expresses unwavering faith in the coming of the Moshiach despite all delays and is sung to a melody composed during the Holocaust; and Vehi She’amda, which speaks of G‑d’s salvation from those who seek to destroy the Jewish people in every generation.

“This crime was an attempt to marginalize and scatter, to intimidate and instill fear, but you have stood up to this intimidation for thousands of years,” said Minns, the premier of NSW. “Tonight, on the final night of Chanukah, I thank the Jewish community of Australia. You have reclaimed Bondi Beach for all of us.”

The premier went on to apologize on behalf of the government, acknowledging that its highest duty is to protect its citizens and that “we did not do that one week ago.”

He also announced a new initiative launched by the NSW government in consultation with Sydney’s rabbinical leadership: “One Mitzvah for Bondi,” a campaign calling on every individual to take on one additional mitzvah. The initiative, he said, was inspired by the spirit of Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

He was followed by NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane, who rushed to Bondi Beach last Sunday to help treat the wounded. She paid tribute to the first responders who had put themselves in the line of fire, risking their lives to help others.

“Tonight, I’m here with you, our community, with you, steadfast, with our broader Bondi and eastern suburbs community to say that I am … I am in pieces with you, but I will be strong like you are strong, and you inspire me. And together, together we will find the light together,” she said.

An address by president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Daniel Aghion was then followed by the performance of “Waltzing Matilda” to pay tribute toMatilda, the youngest victim of the attack.

The crowd then burst into chants of “Chaya! Chaya!” as attack survivor Chaya Dadon ascended the stage with crutches, a result of having been shot in the leg by the terrorists. Dadon, 14, shielded two children she did not know with her own body during the attack. She was accompanied to the stage by her parents, Rabbi Menachem and Sterny Dadon, of Sydney’s Chabad for Israelis, and Erin Molan, who interviewed her in front of the crowd.

When asked what her message was for Australians, Chaya said: “Be the light in the field of darkness. … Obviously, we are mourning, but we are getting stronger as a nation.”

The final address of the evening was delivered by Rabbi Ulman, who called on the crowd to draw a lesson from each of the 15 victims:

For Tanya Tretiak, who was not Jewish but came to stand with the community, he urged people to show up for one another, even when different, and to be allies to those in need.

For Marika Pogany, a tireless volunteer who delivered thousands of Kosher Meals on Wheels, he called on the community to care for the elderly, the vulnerable and those who feel forgotten.

For Adam Smyth, known for his hospitality, he urged people to open their homes and hearts, and make others feel genuinely welcome.

For Peter “Marzo” Meagher, a retired police officer-turned-photographer and active community volunteer, he called for a renewed commitment to service and responsibility.

From Dan Elyakam, killed while celebrating his Judaism, the urgency to live with meaning now, not someday.

From young Matilda, a spirited 10-year-old who radiated light, the call to bring goodness and joy into the lives of others.

From Boris Gurman, who tackled a gunman to protect others, the courage to act in the face of evil; and from his wife, Sofia Gurman, who met prejudice with principle, the strength to respond to hatred with dignity.

From Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor who died shielding his wife, the imperative to place others’ safety above personal comfort.

From Tiber Weitzen, who welcomed children with a smile and a lollipop, the responsibility to ensure the next generation feels safe and loved.

From Boris Tetleroyd, a devoted provider and gifted musician, the charge to care for our families and use our talents to bring beauty into the world.

From Edith Brutman, a woman of integrity, the call to be guided by conscience rather than convenience.

From Reuven Morrison, who fought back with courage and faith, the resolve to stand firm in what is right.

And from Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, who chose service over success, the reminder to place meaning before money and purpose before profit.

“And finally, my beloved son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger,” he concluded, “who treated every human being as precious. Whether prisoner or prime minister, a billionaire or a beggar, what he saw was a soul deserving of love. Let us each, in our own way, try to see people as he did.”

Rabbi Mendy Ulman of Chabad of Bondi then led the crowd of thousands in reciting the Shema prayer before presiding over the kindling of the menorah. Each of the eight lights was lit by a different group, representing the victims and heroic rescuers of the attack.

The evening concluded with a rousing rendition of I Am, You Are, We Are Australian, as tens of thousands departed Bondi Beach determined and empowered to spread light in a world where darkness can, at times, seem to prevail.

The evening concluded with a rousing rendition of “I Am, You Are, We Are Australian.” NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

20,000 people came together on Bondi Beach, the same exact place where just one week earlier a brutal terror attack claimed the lives of 15 people and left more than 40 wounded. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

The beach was under heavy security ahead of the event, with hundreds of police personnel, including snipers, securing the area. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies