Canadians have expressed an outpouring of grief and support for the Jewish community in Australia, with many saying they are “horrified”. after two men shot and killed 15 people and wounded 40 more people at a Jewish holiday celebration in the world-famous Sydney Bondi Beach on Sunday.
“I was horrified,” said Bobbi Zahra, a Jewish woman living in Halifax who said she knows members of the Sydney community. “I thought, ‘This is Hanukkah. We can’t even celebrate Hanukkah?” “I mean, Hanukkah itself was a political event back then, it was meant to scare away looters, but Hanukkah today is a festival of light, it’s a festival of hope.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed Zara's comments about the horror of the incident and said on X that Canadians support Jewish people “everywhere.”
“Canada stands with the people of Australia and the Jewish people everywhere in their grief and determination to never bow to terrorism, violence, hatred and intimidation,” Carney wrote.
The violence erupted at the end of a hot summer day as thousands of people gathered on the beach, including hundreds gathered for the Hanukkah by the Sea event to mark the start of the eight-day Hanukkah festival.
Police said emergency services were called to Bondi at around 6.45pm local time in response to reports of shots fired. Video taken by onlookers showed people in swimsuits running out of the water as shots were fired. Separate footage shows two men in black shirts firing rifles from a footbridge leading to the beach, with sirens wailing and people screaming in the background.
One dramatic clip aired on Australian television showed a man grabbing and disarming one of the gunmen before pointing a gun at him and then putting the gun on the ground.
NSW Premier Chris Minns called the unidentified man a “true hero”.
Police said 13 people died at the scene and 42 people, including four children, were taken to Sydney hospitals. Police said two of those hospitalized, a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man, have since died in hospital, bringing the total death toll to 15.
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One gunman, a 50-year-old man, was fatally shot by police and the second, a 24-year-old man, was arrested and remains in critical condition, authorities said. Police added that one of the militants was known to security services, but there was no specific threat.
At least 40 people were confirmed to have been injured, including two police officers.
Authorities called the incident a terrorist attack.
'We do not give in to terror,' says rabbi
Despite the attack, some are speaking out in defiance, and some rabbis in the Greater Toronto Area say they plan to continue celebrating Hanukkah themselves.
“It’s heartbreaking to realize that this was supposed to be the world’s first public menorah this Hanukkah—an attempt to spread fear far and wide, to make Jews think twice about gathering, singing or shining openly,” said Rabbis Abraham E. Plotkin and Meir Gitlin of Tamim Academy of York Region. “And that's why tonight's Hanukkah Menorah, Garden of Lights program and concert is more important than ever. We will not give in to terror tonight.”
Levi Gansburg, rabbi of Chabad of Bayview, said his synagogue will continue to spread light and positivity with its own celebrations this week.
“We are here to stay, we are here to do our part, and a little light dispels a lot of darkness, and we will continue to be that little light that dispels evil and eradicates hate once and for all from this earth,” Gansburg told Global News.
Chabad, the Orthodox Jewish movement that operates outreach centers around the world and sponsors public events during major Jewish holidays, identified one of the dead as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi of Chabad in Bondi and a key organizer of the event.
Gansburg confirmed to Global News that the rabbi has ties to Toronto.
Canadian police departments said Sunday they are providing more resources to ensure safety.
In a statement published on X, Toronto police said they are closely monitoring events in Australia and “any activity that may be directed against Jews” and will continue to protect its communities.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the force will increase its presence in public places, places of worship and schools in response to world events, and that residents will see more police officers during the holiday season.
Vancouver police also said they are taking “proactive steps” to ensure community safety during Hanukkah, including additional officers patrolling and present at “key locations and events” within the Jewish community.
Anti-Semitic attacks have roiled Australia, where about 117,000 Jews live, according to official data.
The number of incidents, including attacks, vandalism, threats and intimidation, has more than tripled in the country in the year following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent conflict that erupted in the following months, according to the government's special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, Gillian Segal.
Last year, synagogues and cars were set on fire, businesses and homes were graffitied, and Jews were attacked in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.
Canada is also no stranger to such attacks, including anti-Semitic incidents. spreads throughout the country after the terrorist attack on October 7.
Hate crimes against the Jewish community rose to 900 in 2023 from 527 the previous year, according to Statistics Canada. In 2024, that number remained high at 816.
That is why, after the Bondi Beach incident, Jewish organizations in Canada renewed their calls for greater government action.
“I think condolences for Australia's fallen and sympathy for the survivors are very welcome and meaningful, but it will not help stop the next attack,” said Noah Shack, CEO of the Center for Israeli and Jewish Affairs.
“What we need now is for Canadians to wake up and realize that the same thing can happen here, for our governments to take urgent action at all levels, recognize the threat and counter it in partnership with law enforcement to keep communities safe and at the same time, that we address some of the root causes that are driving this extremist violence in countries across the Western world.”
—with files from Global News' Heidi Petracek, Jeff Semple's Lexi Benedict and Stuart Bell, and The Associated Press
