Sydney Hanukkah Massacre

Australia: Bondi Beach hero faces accusations

Ahmed al-Ahmed, who bravely fought a terrorist during the Sydney Hanukkah massacre, is now accused of assaulting and threatening his father.

Australia:

Man charged for stealing camera from victim of Bondi massacre

Man charged in Australia for stealing and pawning a camera from a victim of the Bondi Hanukkah attack.

Commission report reveals:

Australian police were warned ahead of massacre

Local security group warned New South Wales police of 'high' risk to local Jewish community, interim report reveals.

Bondi Beach victims:

Concert canceled after Greek choir refuses to perform with Jews

A Sydney benefit concert for Bondi Beach attack victims was canceled after a Greek choir voted not to perform with a Jewish choir, citing political objections and safety concerns.

Meghan Markle meets Hanukkah shooting survivor in Sydney

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle meet with survivors of Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting in Sydney.

Australia:

Court overturns anti-protest law enacted after Bondi attack

Australian court overturns New South Wales law that clamped down on protests, enacted after the antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach.

Shabbat Shalom:

To those who run towards the fire

Each Friday I try to end the week by saying Shabbat Shalom to those who have made a difference over the past few days, those who have stepped forward when it mattered most, often quietly, often without recognition. Every week the names change, but the idea remains the same, to recognise those who run towards the fire.

Following Bondi Beach attack

Royal Commission into antisemitism begins work

Australia’s royal commission into antisemitism begins public hearings, investigating the causes of antisemitism and the deadly Bondi Beach shooting. An interim report is expected by April.

Bondi Beach terrorist appears in court for first hearing

Naveed Akram, accused of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre, appears in a Sydney court via video link.

Australia:

JCA admits posting false names in anti-Herzog ads

An anti-Herzog newspaper ad listing false names draws backlash, with the Jewish Council of Australia acknowledging errors and signatories denying approval.

Watch:

Bondi Beach orphans recite Kaddish beside President Herzog

President Herzog visited the Chabad synagogue in Bondi during his state visit to Australia, standing with young orphans from the Bondi Beach massacre who recited Kaddish in memory of their relatives.

Herzog honors Bondi victims: We must fight terror together

President Herzog visits Bondi attack site, calling antisemitism a global emergency and urging united action against terror and hatred. Meanwhile, police prepare for protests and enforce special powers.

Melbourne:

Posters glorifying Bondi Beach terrorist spark outrage

Melbourne removes dozens of copycat “Aussie" posters featuring one of the two Bondi Beach Hanukkah terrorists, drawing condemnation from Jewish leaders and officials.

Bondi massacre victim's name changed by hospital to protect her

Sydney Hanukkah massacre victim Rosalia Shikhverg says the hospital which treated her changed her name to make her seem not Jewish because 'they could not trust their own staff' to treat Jewish patients.

Australia passes sweeping legislation against antisemitism

The new laws, first proposed after the Bondi Beach shooting, include tighter regulation on weapon imports, a national buyback program for civilian firearms and eased deportation of purveyors of hatred.

'Pain day and night'

Bondi hero reveals extent of damage

Hero who disarmed attacker at Sydney Hanukkah event answers critics who he says ignore his injuries, lasting pain.

Australia passes gun‑control bill after Bondi Hanukkah attack

Australia’s lower house passes a gun‑control bill after the Bondi attack in which 15 people were murdered.

Moshe Feiglin:

Sydney massacre was a warning for the world

It is time to stop apologizing, to stop pleading for understanding. It is time to return to the language of justice. Opinion.

Bondi Hero

'My goal was to take the gun and stop the killing'

Sydney Hanukkah massacre hero Ahmed Al Ahmed explains his action to save lives during meeting with the leaders of the Israel Justice Organization in New York.

Australia:

January 22 set as national mourning day for Bondi victims

PM Anthony Albanese announces that Australia will hold a national day of mourning on January 22 for the Bondi terror victims.

Australia orders royal commission into Hanukkah massacre

Australia launches a royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack that killed 15, amid rising concerns over antisemitism.

Watch

What does Bondi Beach hero Ahmed Al Ahmed think of Trump?

Al Ahmed, who was wounded while disarming one of the terrorists who massacred Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney, visited and prayed at the tomb of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Bondi Beach Attack:

Children’s author writes about atrocity ‘We don’t mourn fascists’

Award-winning children's author Matt Chun sparks outrage after attacking public grief over the Bondi Beach terror attack and vilifying victims at the Hanukkah celebration.

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Cheers for Bondi Beach heroes

Ahmed Al-Ahmad, who tackled the terrorist at Bondi Beach, and Jewish teen Haya Dadon, who was shot while protecting two small children, were honored by thousands of spectators in Sydney stadium.

Newborn baby named after Bondi Beach victim

Henry Amzalak was born eight days after the murder of his great-grandfather Tibor Weitzen at Bondi Beach.

Israeli Ambassador meets hero who tackled Bondi terrorist

Israel’s Ambassador meets Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who tackled one of the Bondi terrorists during the antisemitic attack that killed 15.

Watch:

Moving New Years tribute for Hanukkah massacre victims

Sydney rang in the new year with a moment of silence for the victims of the massacre at a Hanukkah event in the city, projecting the words 'peace' and 'unity' and a menorah on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

"Experiencing miracles"

Sydney terror attack victim walks for the first time

"Leibel walked for the first time since the attack," wrote the father. "It was an exercise that lasted two minutes, but he said it felt like he had worked out for an hour at the gym."

The Cremation Crisis

Asarah B'Tevet: The Jewish Response to Antisemitic Terror

Shema Yisrael: Our Answer When Jews Are Murdered for Being Jews

Australian police:

Bondi Beach terrorists acted alone, not tied to wider network

Australian police say the Bondi Hanukkah shooters acted alone, finding no link to a terror network or training during their recent trip to the Philippines.

Victoria, Australia to transfer millions to securing Jews

Following the terror attack at Bondi Beach, the Victorian government will allocate nearly AU$2 million to the security of Jewish institutions.

Bondi Beach massacre:

Victims' families call for national inquiry into antisemitism

Families of Bondi Beach terror victims demand a federal royal commission into Australia’s “rapid rise of antisemitism,” accusing authorities of failing to prevent the Hanukkah massacre.

Bondi Beach hero speaks: I just wanted to save lives

Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al Ahmed recounts tackling one of the terrorists during the antisemitic Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, saying he acted only to save innocent lives despite being wounded.

Australian Ambassador:

'We will dedicate every resource to protecting Jews'

Australian diplomat Lyndall Sachs met with Chabad emissaries in Tel Aviv to deliver a message of solidarity in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting.

'A Jewish mother'

Slain Bondi photographer was actually Jewish

Bondi victim, Peter Meagher, was revealed as Jewish right before his murder, and in those fateful minutes he donned tefillin.

Australia

Online antisemitic discourse multiplies after Bondi massacre

Diaspora Affairs Ministry finds that antisemitic social media posts in Australia rose from about 3,000 a daybefore the Bondi massacre to about 20,000 after the attack.

After Bondi shooting

Ammunition, Hamas flags found in home of massacre supporter

Weapons, ammunition, and flags of Hamas and Hezbollah were found at the home of an Australian citizen who was arrested after praising the massacre at Bondi Beach and posting antisemitic content.

Jewish Agency to Australian PM

Act decisively to eradicate Antisemitism

Jewish Agency leaders write to Anthony Albanese that the Sydney massacre 'did not occur in a vacuum. Australia has seen a troubling pattern of antisemitic incidents, alongside the normalisation of rhetoric that dehumanises Jews.'

Sydney victim saved policeman:

Jewish Sydney hero: Give me your gun or we'll both die

Leibel Lazaroff, 21, severely injured in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre, saved a police officer's life and attempted to stop the terrorist.

After Bondi Beach massacre:

600 global officials send solidarity letter to Australian mayor

Nearly 600 elected leaders worldwide send letter of solidarity to Australian mayor after Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre.l

After Hanukkah massacre

New South Wales tightens gun laws

NSW lawmakers pass sweeping gun and protest laws after the attack at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach which left 15 dead.

Australian PM invites Herzog to visit after Sydney attack

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke with President Isaac Herzog following the terror attack on Sydney’s Jewish community and invited him to visit Australia in the near future.

After the attack:

New counterterrorism and public order measures in Australia

Gun purchase laws will be significantly tightened, and Australian police will be able to ban protests for three months.

Elderly couple survives attack:

We sneaked into a pickup truck

An unlocked pickup truck and a split-second decision saved the lives of Benjamin and Reizel Simons, an elderly Jewish couple who fled the gunfire during the Bondi Beach attack.

New details on Sydney massacre

Terrorists threw explosive devices that failed to detonate

The Australian ABC network reveals that during the massacre, the two terrorists threw four explosive devices at the crowd - which did not explode

To aid probe

Mosques in Philippines post photos of Bondi terrorists

Davao mosques display photos of Bondi terrorists as Muslim leaders urge locals to report any links to the attackers’ month-long stay before their deadly rampage in Australia.

Israel’s UN mission pays tribute to Sydney terror victims

Israel’s UN mission holds a moment of silence for the victims of the deadly Sydney terror attack during Hanukkah, vowing unity and resilience against antisemitic violence.

15th victim named

The victims of the Sydney Hanukkah Massacre

These are the 15 people murdered by two terrorists at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, ranging in age from 10 to 82.

'We'll continue being victorious'

Netanyahu lights the menorah with Chabad emissaries

Prime Minister Netanyahu lit the eighth candle of Hanukkah with Chabad emissaries and marked one week since the Sydney massacre: 'We have not lost our spirit, nor will we lose it.'

Herzog calls relatives of slain, wounded in Sydney attack

President Isaac Herzog spoke with the family of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, murdered in the Sydney terror attack, and praised the courage of Gefen Bitton, who was seriously wounded while trying to stop the terrorists.

Eighth Hanukkah candle lit at Bondi Beach shooting site

In a ceremony alongside hundreds of members of Sydney's Jewish community, volunteers from ZAKA's international unit lit the final Hanukkah candle at the site where the attack occurred.

One week after massacre

Herzog: Despite thousands of miles between us, we feel your pain

President Herzog lights candle in memory of the 15 victims of the Sydney Hanukkah Massacre.

Sydney terror attack:

Murdered rabbi’s family meets Muslim hero who stopped attacker

Rabbi Mendel Kastel, brother-in-law of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, murdered in Bondi Beach shooting, meets with Ahmed al-Ahmad, the Muslim civilian who bravely intervened to stop the terrorist attack.

Bondi Beach vigil marks 1 week since Hanukkah massacre

The city of Sydney is holding a vigil at Bondi Beach to mark the end of Hanukkah and honour the victims of last week's mass shooting in which 15 people were murdered.

'Blood on your hands'

Australia’s Prime Minister booed at memorial vigil

Thousands attended a vigil to light the eighth candle of Hanukkah at the scene of the Bondi Beach attack under heavy security. The Australian Prime Minister was booed.

California Mayor under fire for calling Bondi massacre false flag

Richmond Mayor and DSU member Eduardo Martinez faces calls to resign after sharing claims the Bondi Beach massacre was a false flag attack and previous antisemitic comments.

After Bondi attack

Australian state to ban ISIS flags, 'globalize the intifada'

New South Wales plans to outlaw ISIS flags, extremist symbols, and chants like “globalize the intifada” in the wake of the Hanukkah massacre on Bondi Beach.

Mystery Bondi hero revealed: Israeli Gefen Biton

Bitton tried to stop the attack and was shot three times. He remains in critical condition at St Vincent's Hospital after five rounds of surgery.

$2.5M from supporters

Muslim hero who tackled Sydney terrorist honored

Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian man hailed for tackling terrorist in the Bondi Beach massacre, receives over $2.5M in donations from around the world as officials and citizens praised his bravery.

UK:

Government unveils broad plan to combat rising antisemitism

UK government presents new policy document to combat antisemitism; PM Starmer: 'Words will not replace actions to uproot antisemitism.'