Rabbi Nochum Schapiro, Chabad emissary in the southern suburbs of Sydney and President of the Rabbinical Council of Australia, spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, after the murderous attack at Bondi Beach, Sydney, in which 15 Jews were murdered and many others injured.
Rabbi Schapiroagrees that it is difficult to say “Happy Hanukkah” this year. “It’s not easy to say ‘happy’ these days,” he said. “It’s tough, but we certainly are resilient people, aren’t we?”
“My daughter reminded me that we were here for Sukkot,” he continued. “There was a big Sukkot event at the local luna park, and there was a lockdown. At the time, I mentioned to my daughter that I’m actually worried about Hanukkah. I forgot about that, to be honest, and she reminded me.”
“What should I say? In our day-to-day life, it’s not like we’re living amongst people where our neighbors or our workmates are dangerous antisemites. Most of our neighbors are quite decent. They approach me often and ask how things are going with the Jewish people, with Israel, and so on. But the government’s policies have been terrible.”
“I don’t believe the prime minister is an antisemite, but he is terribly mistaken,” Rabbi Schapiro said. “As a youth, he was a member of the ‘Justice for Palestine’ people, and unfortunately their posture with regards to Israel doesn’t remain there. It filters down. It translates into tangible hatred, especially amongst the Muslim community against Jews.”
Rabbi Schapiro also spoke about personal loss. “I lost friends in the terrorist attack. It’s hard to put into words. Every time I think that they’re not here anymore-especially the two rabbis, whom I knew well-it just boggles the mind. I just can’t believe it.”
“Two young men in the prime of their life, involved in their shlichus [mission], who were totally committed to what they were doing. Rabbi Eli Schlanger was the first to leave to go to Eretz Yisrael after October 7th. He was the first Australian rabbi who, within two weeks, was part of a mission. He brought a lot of money to help people from what he raised here in the community.”
Despite the pain, Rabbi Schapiro emphasized that communal activities are continuing. “We’re going to push through this. We’re not canceling Hanukkah. We’re not canceling light. We have to add light.”
“All of your listeners and all those who watch your show should add light,” he said. “I’m sure most of them light their own Chanukiah, but they should call someone they know who might not and say, ‘Light for those who are lost.’ Light for Rabbi Eli. Light for Rabbi Yaakov, and for the other 13 whom we lost.”
“We don’t even know all of them. I only know another three. Not all the names have come out,” he added. “My own great-nephew is a young man, 20 years old. He’s from Texas, and he came to work in that community for the year. He was shot in the abdomen and is undergoing an operation right now as we speak. He’s going through a second operation. His name is Yehuda Leib ben Manya, and he certainly could use tefillot [prayers]. People could pray for him.”
Rabbi Schapiro also described a meeting earlier that day. “This morning I had a meeting with 25 faith leaders, with the minister of multiculturalism in the state, and then the premier of New South Wales came out and spoke to us for a little bit.”
“There were two Jewish rabbis there-myself and another rabbi. There was a lot of empathy, I should say, both from the minister and from the premier. Unfortunately, in their party, they’re the ones who are pro-Jewish and pro-Israel, so I don’t know if they have the votes.”
“One of the things I said to them was the need for every one of them to get their communities to add goodness and kindness, to do mitzvot, but also to stand with us,” he said. “That’s what they claim they’re going to do, and we heard some very powerful messages.”
“There was one particular Anglican bishop who basically apologized for Christian antisemitism throughout the years, and for the fact that over the last two years since October 7th they haven’t done enough and haven’t stood with us enough. He voiced that.”
“What we focused on,” Rabbi Schapiro concluded, “is the fact that these weekly demonstrations where they scream ‘Globalize Intifada’-you saw ‘globalize intifada’ in action last night.”