I write this as a father, as a Jew, and as an Israeli who knows what it means to live with violence aimed at your people.
When the news came from Bondi during a Hanukkah celebration, my heart sank. Jews gathered to light candles, to remember survival, to mark hope and faith in the middle of darkness. Instead, families were shattered. Innocent people were hunted because they were Jewish.
According to reports, the attackers were a father and a son from a Muslim background, and the attack was driven by extremist antisemitic ideology. This was not random violence. It was targeted. Jews were singled out in a public space during a Jewish holiday. That alone tells us everything we need to know about intent.
As a Jew, this feels painfully familiar. Our history is marked by moments when hatred erupts in places that once felt safe. From Europe to the Middle East, from synagogues to schools, from markets to celebrations, the pattern repeats. Different countries, different languages, but the same target.
As an Israeli, I live with the knowledge that hatred toward Jews does not remain theoretical for long. It moves from words to weapons. It moves from ideology to action. When that happens, hesitation and denial cost lives.
This attack forces hard questions that governments often avoid. Why are Jewish gatherings repeatedly targeted? Why does antisemitism surface so easily in extremist movements? Why are warnings ignored until blood is spilled?
Those who commit such crimes must be punished with the full force of the law. There can be no excuses, no soft language, no hesitation. Justice is not revenge. Justice is the protection of innocent life and a clear signal that society will not tolerate the targeting of a people for who they are.
But punishment alone is not enough. Governments must show wisdom and courage. Wisdom to recognize dangerous ideologies before they turn violent. Courage to name hatred without fear of backlash. Courage to protect Jewish communities proactively, not only after funerals are held.
As a believer, I also speak from faith. Scripture teaches that human life is sacred. It teaches that shedding innocent blood is an offense before God. It also teaches that leaders are entrusted with authority to restrain evil. When they fail to do so, they fail the very people they are meant to protect.
This is also a call to prayer.
Pray for the families who lost loved ones. Pray for parents who now carry grief that words cannot touch. Pray for children who will grow up with empty chairs at holiday tables.
Pray for the Jewish community in Australia, shaken but standing. Pray for courage, clarity, and unity in the face of fear.
And pray for leaders, that they would govern with wisdom, act with resolve, and refuse to hide from the truth.
We Jews know this pattern. We have lived it before. That is why we speak. Not from hatred, not from anger alone, but from memory. And memory demands that we do not stay silent.
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
