In emotional remarks during morning prayers following the deadly terror shooting at a Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, co-founder of Chabad of Bondi, and senior rabbi in the Sydney community called on the Jewish community to continue the mission of those murdered.
Rabbi Ulman’s son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was among the 15 victims of Sunday’s attack.
“For whatever reason, they died al kiddush hashem,” he said, invoking the sanctification of God’s name.
“And now, they’re looking to us to continue, to make sure that everything they worked for, everything that they’ve done, continues stronger and stronger,” Rabbi Ulman declared. “We cannot allow terrorists - all they want to do is stifle our life as Jews, all they want to do is… bring us down, destroy us, make us despondent, lose hope.”
He continued, “At the moment, it seems, how can we go forward? How can we continue? But that’s not what any of the kedoshim would have ever agreed to. They never would have reacted in such a way, and we have to step up and do the same. We have no choice.”
Breaking down in tears, Rabbi Ulman recited “Baruch dayan emet,” the traditional phrase said upon hearing of a death: “Blessed is the true judge.”
He urged unity, saying, “We have to remember that now is the time to be as much [in] achdut as possible, united.”