Day of Reflection: Australia pauses to mourn Chanukah terror victims

Australia was observing a nationwide moment of remembrance on Sunday for the victims of the Bondi Beach Chanukah terrorist attack, one week after the massacre, with vigils taking place at 6:47 p.m., the time the shooting started.

Thousands gathered in Sydney’s eastern suburbs where the attack occurred to observe the minute of silence as part of events taking place across the country. Amid heightened security, the Jewish community of New South Wales held a vigil and commemoration for the victims and survivors at Bondi Beach. Dignitaries and religious leaders addressed the event.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the Day of Reflection “a moment for Australia to stand with our Jewish community.”

“At 6:47pm, you can light a candle in your window to remember the victims of the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi and support those who are grieving,” he continued. “Standing together to show that hatred and violence will never define who we are.”

In a public statement on Saturday, Albanese said that the declaration for Sunday’s remembrance event was made on Friday in coordination with New South Wales, saying that “Australia will not allow these evil antisemitic terrorists to divide us. Light will triumph, and that is what Chanukah is about.”

Albanese and his government in Canberra have faced criticism, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for not doing enough to combat rising antisemitism in the lead-up to the Sydney attack. He is also facing accusations of avoiding confronting jihadist Islamic violence by deflecting to gun control in the wake of the massacre.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess said he will fully cooperate with the government’s review of national security agencies announced on Sunday by Albanese, The Guardian reported.

Burgess said the review would help clear up “false statements” circulating since the Bondi Beach terror attack and restore public confidence. He added that ASIO had already begun an internal review of its decision-making after the attack, and that findings would be shared with the government and made public. Burgess said the agency welcomed scrutiny but rejected claims that ASIO failed to pass on intelligence or deprioritized counter-terrorism efforts.

Fifteen people were murdered in the terrorist attack during a Chanukah celebration at Archer Park on Dec. 14, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, who led the Chabad mission in Bondi for 18 years, and non-Jewish passerby Adam Smyth, a 50-year-old father of four. The youngest victim was 10-year-old Matilda.

Police killed one gunman at the scene and arrested the second, who faces 59 charges including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act. Police said early indications suggest the father and son attackers were inspired by Islamic State, a group listed as a terrorist organization in Australia.

Forty-one people—including four children—were taken to hospitals in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack, according to the Australian Federal Police.

NSW Health said on Sunday afternoon that 13 patients remain hospitalized at the Prince of Wales, St George, St Vincent’s, Royal Prince Alfred and Royal North Shore hospitals, including four people in critical but stable condition and nine people in stable condition.

©JNS