Rabbi Shua Solomon, President of the Rabbinical Council of New South Wales and Rabbi of Mizrachi Bondi, shared his profound grief and determination over the Bondi Beach shooting in an interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News.
Describing the community's response to the tragedy, Rabbi Solomon said: "I think the first thing is shock. I don't think there's a Jew in Australia, not just in Sydney, a Jew in Australia, who doesn't know someone who's been affected by this. We're just trying to keep the community going. We don't let terror win, and we continue to live our lives as proud Jews - as difficult as that is in the current circumstances."
Rabbi Solomon notes that the attack is less surprising than some might think. "We've been warning since October 7th, almost weekly, that anti-semitism would lead to violence. We've warned against ignorance and apathy for two years."
Rabbi Solomon revealed his personal connections to some of the victims. "Rabbi Eli Schlanger always had a new idea to bring more people to Torah observance, bring more people to a love of Israel. Rabbi Yaakov Levitan didn't officially work with me, but those who knew Yakov knew that he was involved in everything. Everyone needed his help. He was an incredibly talented human being who did everything with a smile and was involved in so many different community organizations."
Rabbi Solomon stated that the attack would not intimidate his community. "We're still going to practice our Judaism proudly and boldly. We're still full of grief, but we're looking forward to reopening the community properly and making sure that terror doesn't win."