A night of inspiration and remembrance
What was a scene of the most imaginable horrors just one week ago was transformed into an uplifting sea of love
They came to Bondi in defiance. Twenty thousand strong, according to Chabad of Bondi spiritual leader Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, to stand together as Jews and Australians.
They came to say to the forces of darkness “you will not defeat us”.
What was a scene of the most imaginable horrors just one week ago was transformed into an uplifting sea of love. There was sorrow, and plenty of it, but there was hope. There was togetherness. Above all, in true Jewish spirit, there was a declaration that we not only survive, but we thrive. And here, in one of the most iconic and recognisable parts of this sunburned land, the Jews of Sydney came to announce that we are an inseparable part of Australia, and we are not going anywhere.
The evening began with NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip welcoming the many dignitaries present – including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was loudly booed – and NSW Premier Chris Minns, who was enthusiastically cheered, as Ossip pointed out he “has not missed a funeral, a synagogue service or an opportunity to be with the community”.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane was welcomed as a hero for her courage in providing assistance a week ago at Bondi as the attack was taking place.
To the family members and friends of the 15 souls who were murdered, Ossip declared, “Your courage and your resilience inspire us, and we are sending our love and our prayers to you.
“On behalf of everyone who is here tonight, that we are going to be with you today and every day going forward, and we know that the memory of your loved ones, the pure souls who were murdered so mercilessly last week will be a blessing.”
Ossip also paid tribute to those who were injured and extended wishes for a swift recovery, making special mention of heroes Ahmed al-Ahmed and Gefen Bitton.
Reflecting on the horror that took place, Ossip cited the two years of escalating antisemitism and warnings from the Jewish community and ASIO that lives were going to be lost.
“Whilst we are all in shock and deeply sad, we are not surprised. We feared and suspected that this moment was coming,” he said.
“And whilst a catastrophe such as that which we experienced last week would be a tragedy if it was unexpected, how much more tragic is it that the loss of life occurred despite all the warning signs being known.”
In a message seemingly directed at Albanese, seated in the front row and who has so far rebuffed calls for a judicial inquiry into the slaughter, Ossip continued, “And on that note, it cannot be disputed that we need a Royal Commission, which goes beyond New South Wales, to get to the bottom of how this took place,” to cheers from the crowd.
‘I recommit my solidarity’
Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who has been a regular fixture at the makeshift memorial at Bondi Pavilion as well as at the temporary mental health hub that has been established at North Bondi RSL, addressed the crowd with warmth and empathy.
“As your Governor-General, I join all Australians in rejecting antisemitism. And I recommit my solidarity with Jewish Australians in a spirit of love, belonging, gratitude and unity,” she said.
“Thank you to everyone who has come tonight and come during the week, for coming back to Bondi to reclaim the peace of this place which was ruptured with an act of terror, unspeakable barbarism, at exactly this time, just one week ago.
“We’re here, no doubt, to mourn those who lost their lives and those whose lives have been forever changed. But we’re also here to honour and thank everybody who has responded to this moment … the heroism of the surf lifesavers, the police, the responders are hospital teams, civilians and so many more. I believe we’re yet to fully process the extent of heroism and bravery.”
Mostyn said that as Governor-General, “I have promised more care, kindness and respect at the centre of everything I do. And I took my lead from a former Governor-General, a Jewish man, Sir Zelman Cowan.
“Like all Governors-General before me in this time of great tragedy and sorrow, I sought to interpret the mood of the nation and stand with Jewish Australians and all Australians as we commit to peace and healing and a place where absolutely everybody belongs,” she said.
“We know we must never let this happen again, we must commit to being a nation where every Australian has the right to belong in peace and safety.”
The Governor-General then read out a message from King Charles. “My wife and I are appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people attending the Chanukah celebration at Bondi beach. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully, including the police officers who were injured while protecting members of their community. We commend the police, emergency services and members of the public whose actions, no doubt prevented even greater horror and tragedy,” the message read.
“I know that the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia and the light at the heart of the Chanukah festival, will always triumph over the darkness of such evil.”
Doing ‘never again’
Representing Chabad world headquarters, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky declared that “when Jews show up for each other, when people show up for each other, the world feels it”.
“One week ago, terror came to this beach, a place of joy, place of light, a place where families were coming together to celebrate the festivities, the holiday of Chanukah,” he said. “They came to hurt us, and yet they realised what they were up against. Look at this response.
“The Jewish response to terror is never fear. It is never retreat, it is never silence, but our response is more light, more life, more goodness, more building, more doing, more mitzvahs. We are not going to say ‘never again’, we are going to do ‘never again’.”
Rabbi Kotlarsky said the Lubavitcher Rebbe had spoken about Sydney. “He cared about Sydney. He believed that what happens here is going to lift the entire world and tonight, through our pain, through our sorrow, through all the suffering, you have touched millions of people around the world,” he said.
He also paid tribute to his “dear colleague” and “close friend” Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the massacre a week ago. “He didn’t dream small. He dreamt big. He dreamed Jewish. He dreamt together,” Rabbi Kotlarsky said.
“Watching his dear father-in-law, the legendary Rabbi Ulman, over the last few days, going to each and every family, at every funeral, at every event, I remember how closely they worked together. In addition to losing a son-in-law, he lost a confident, a colleague, his support who he leaned on, who did incredible things together. The loss to the Jewish world is immeasurable.
“Eli didn’t measure success by numbers. He measured it by unity. How many hearts did we touch? How many people felt like they belonged? How many souls were uplifted?
“And therefore I want to say clearly and from the deepest place in my heart, this event is Eli’s dream come true. Thousands of Jews standing together as one, thousands of non-Jews showing up, standing shoulder to shoulder … a community in love and support and a community refusing to be broken. Eli, you did this, not just here, not just today, but over the past week around the world.”
The choices we make
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin recalled how for the last ten years, Rabbi Eli Schlanger had asked him to address the community on the first night of Chanukah at Bondi Beach
“I didn’t know I was putting us all in harm’s way. I didn’t know that among us there is evil in its most pure and destructive form,” Ryvchin said.
“Rabbi Eli chose to live every day with a simple mission of cramming as much good into each day as possible to help as many people as he could. He counted his wealth not in dollars and cents, but in friends made and good deeds done.
“Matilda chose to celebrate life with a beaming smile and a dolphin painted on her beautiful face. Reuven Morrison and Boris and Sophia Gurman chose to act with the ultimate courage and reverence of life,” he continued.
“What matters now is the choice that we make, how we choose to live, how we together, replace the light and decency and love that the murdered cumulatively brought into this world. I have made my own choice. I’m willing to accept that we will now live with uncertainty, even with fear. That is a price I will pay, but I will not hide who I am, an Australian and a Jew.
“So I have chosen to return to stand again on that now sacred ground on the first night of Chanukah next year, together with my three daughters, to kindle the light and praise the almighty proudly as an Australian and as a Jew, because I know, I know that’s exactly what Rabbi Eli and our dear sacred murdered would have wanted.”
Premier’s inspirational words
Welcomed to rapturous applause, NSW Premier Chris Minns proclaimed, “Bondi is beautiful tonight.
“It’s beautiful because you in your thousands, in your defiance, in your resistance and resolve, you have returned to these sands just seven days after a shocking crime, and have said to the terrorists, we are going nowhere.
“This crime was an attempt to marginalise and scatter, to intimidate and cause fear,” Minns said. “But Jews have stood up to this intimidation for thousands of years, and so tonight, thanks to the Jewish community of Australia, on this last night of Chanukah, you have reclaimed Bondi Beach for us.”
Minns continued, “We are deeply sorry. We grieve with you and with humility, I acknowledge that the government’s highest duty is to protect its citizens, and we did not do that one week ago. That reality weighs on me heavily. We must accept that responsibility and use it to do everything and anything we possibly can to stop it from happening again.”
The Premier said “the shock and the pain we feel is as if a member of our own family has been taken”.
“The sad truth is that this crime has tragically highlighted a deep vein of antisemitic hate in our community. To excuse it as an aberration or a tragic single event is wrong,” he said. “History shows us that antisemitism builds, starting with a phrase or a chant, then migrating to the air waves, or in modern times, onto the internet. Then graffiti on Jewish buildings, then damage to property, then arson and then murder.
“The danger we must confront is the deliberate incubation of hatred. This includes organisations and individuals who promote violence and division, sometimes cloaking it in ideology or even the perversion of religion. This must be confronted.”
Minns also paid tribute to Rabbi Ulman. “Rabbi Ulman, no doubt, this week, you’ve been gripped by your own exceptional pain, having lost a friend, a fellow rabbi, your son-in-law,” he said.
“And yet you’ve been someone who’s been able to find wisdom in pain and strength in suffering, and it’s been an inspiration to all of us that even in this period of sadness and evil, there is work to do.”
The Premier concluded his speech by announcing the launch of the One Mitzvah for Bondi initiative, a campaign in honour of those killed, those who are injured and “all who are suffering”, inspired by the spirit of Rabbi Schlanger.
“It invites every citizen of our state of any faith or no faith, to increase acts of goodness and kindness,” Minns said. “If hatred spreads through words and actions, then so does goodness. We can’t cure hate with hate. And the lesser lesson of the Chanukah is not that there is no darkness, it’s the darkness cannot extinguish the light. So be the light in the world and may the memories of those who’ve been lost be a blessing to all of us.”
‘Together, we will find the light’
NSW Opposition Leader and Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloane shared that she had discarded an earlier version of her speech, instead choosing to bear witness to what she saw when she raced down to Bondi on that fateful evening.
“I stand before you as someone who saw the devastation, who arrived here last week while the shots were still being fired, who witnessed the chaos and the distress, and who saw the injured, and who held the hands of those who needed their hands held, who saw the chaos and the terror, but also saw the kindness and so many acts of bravery,” she said.
“Through the ages, people have denied the pogroms, the massacre of Jews. Indeed, within hours of the attacks on Sunday, there was already that sick denialism, propaganda on social media. Let me tell you my proof, because I stood there amongst the destruction and the chaos.”
Sloane described how she had been about to address the Chanukah function in Dover Heights with a positive speech about ending what had been a difficult year for the Jewish community on a high. Instead, she described how the crowd began to disperse and security began to lock down the event as she jumped into a Hatzolah ambulance with Rabbi Mendy Litzman and reached down to Bondi.
“We parked under that bridge while the gunman was still on top. And Mendy grabbed his kit, and he raced into the scene without any thought for his own safety, making impossible choices about who to deal with first and who to treat,” she recalled.
“And I helped a man and his 10 year old boy who were hiding under that bridge get into our ambulance because I thought they’d be safer there. And then I walked into the scene, and what I saw will haunt me forever.
“I tried my best to help. A surf Lifesaver told me, grab bandages. I said, What do I do? He said, plug the holes. And I ended up sitting next to people and holding their hands, putting blankets over people who we couldn’t help anymore. I had people fall into my arms who were grief stricken because they felt that they hadn’t done enough, and we all felt that way. And man, I saw them as heroes, and they were heroes.”
Honouring the 15 lives lost, Sloane said, “Is an impossible task.
“How do we say sorry for failing our community? How do we comprehend what has happened to our country?,” she asked.
She shared that she will read a condolence motion in parliament on Monday with the names of those lost along with the Premier, adding, ”and thank you, Premier, for your compassion this week,” in a genuine display of bipartisanship.
“We will honour all the people who visited Bondi with bunches of flowers and who sent messages. And that outpouring of love has given me hope. It’s given me hope that we will mend together,” Sloane said. “Tonight, I’m here with you, our community, with you, steadfast, with our broader Bondi and eastern suburbs community, to say that I am in pieces with you.
“But I will be strong like you are strong, and you inspire me, and together, we will find the light.”
‘We all deserve better’
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion declared that ISIS terrorists “do not decide who we are and what our future will be”.
“We Australians make that decision. We Australians will not be dictated to by anyone, and especially not those who wield violence and fear in the name of hate,” he said. “The Australian Jewish community has experienced two years of unrelenting vitriol and hate protests calling for eradication of our right to speak in support of our freedoms and Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself from butchery.
“We have endured 11 fire bombing attacks upon our synagogues and facilities, homes, businesses and a child care centre within the last 18 months and now, just a week ago, the cold blooded Murder of innocents.”
Aghion said the victims at Bondi “were cut down for who they were, not for anything they did”.
“We warned the government of the risk again and again, but our many warnings were not listened [to],” he said
“Our answer to the terrorists, to their knowing or unwitting accomplices and sympathisers, is this, we will not be silenced. We will not hide. We will not live in fear.”
He paid tribute to fallen heroes Boris and Sofia Gurman, and Reuven Morrison, who were killed while engaging the terrorists, police officers Jack Hibbert and Scott Dyson, who are still in hospital, heroes Ahmed El-Ahmed and Gefen Bitton, also in hospital, young mother Jessica Rosen, the CSG volunteers, and all others who risked their own lives to help the vulnerable that day.
“We thank all of you, those that I have mentioned, and so many more, from the bottom of our hearts,” he said.
“To honour those heroes, the rest of us must now say enough. Every level of government, from the federal government down, and every sector of society ,must take the necessary steps to make us all safe. One necessary step is, as David Ossip has already said, and I thank him for the courage to say it, a Commonwealth Royal Commission.”
WhIle Jews were the target of the terror attack, they were not the only victims, Aghion observed. “As we saw last Sunday, antisemitism makes us all unsafe. We all deserve better. We deserve an Australia where we are all safe.”
Teen hero’s inspiring words
Teenager Chaya Dadon, who shielded two young children while the attack was taking place, told journalist Erin Molan that she didn’t even think before she sprang into action. “Those children, I felt so connected to them the whole time. That’s the thing about the Jewish people, I saw those kids, and they were mine. They were my kids, and I knew whatever I was gonna do, I was gonna do it for them,” she said, her parents standing by her side on the stage.
Asked if she felt scared, Dadon said no. “ I didn’t feel not one inch on my body scared,” she replied. “I felt God holding my hand and whispering … I heard the words he was saying, ‘This is it. This is your mission. This is your purpose’. Because the Jewish people, a big concept of Judaism is having a purpose and having a meaning to be in this world. And I, in that moment, I felt so, directed in the right direction. And I was like, there’s no going back. There’s no not doing it.”
Asked whether she liked being recognised due to her heroism, she modestly replied, “I don’t like being famous. I like the reason people are understanding me, the reason people are stopping me on the street. I love being that inspirational for people and being that light in this tunnel of just darkness, pure evil,” she said. “This is why I’m sharing my story, to be that light and to share all of this with all you amazing people. And I just, I just want to say, I love you.”
Molan concluded by saying that in a hundred years, children would learn about what happened at Bondi on December 14, 2025. “They’ll learn about the terror, they’ll learn about the tragedy. They’ll learn about the names of those we lost. They’ll also learn about stories like yours of heroism,” Molan said.
“They’ll also learn and just as importantly, what we did next as a nation. And may that be moral courage, strength, leadership, may that be the silent majority in this country standing up and roaring to life, may it not be moral cowardice and may it not be more failure.”
Life lessons from the fallen
A week removed from the tragedy that decimated his community and robbed him of his son-in-law, Rabbi Ulman inspired with bravery, passion and measured wisdom.
“On the first night of Chanukah, we were prevented from lighting even one candle. Tonight, we are going to light all eight,” he began. “Hundreds of thousands are watching and are here with us. Bondi is with us. Sydney is with us. Australia is with us, and the world is with us.
“As Daniel Aghion said, we are not retreating, we are not hiding, we are not shrinking. We are responding with more light, more love and more unity. We owe this to the 15 precious souls we lost.”
Rabbi Ulman explained that the Torah teaches that the greatest way to honour those who are no longer with us is, in the words of King Solomon, to live a life inspired by their memory. “Each one of the 15 precious souls has left us with lessons we can emulate,” he said.
Tania Tretiak, he said, came to show up for her husband and the community despite not being Jewish herself. “Let us show up for one another, even when we are different, and be allies to those who need us,” he said.
“Marika Pogany, a tireless volunteer who delivered thousands of meals. Let us care for the elderly, the vulnerable and those who feel forgotten.”
Adam Smyth, Rabbi Ulman said, was known for his legendary hospitality. “Let us open our homes and our hearts and make others feel welcome,” he said.
Peter Meagher served as a police officer and community leader. “Let us commit to service, to showing up for others and giving back to the places we call home,” the rabbi said.
“Dan Elkayam was killed while celebrating his Judaism on a beautiful day. Let us not postpone what matters. Let us live with meaning now, not someday in the future.”
“Matilda Bee Britvan,” he continued, referring to the youngest victim of the massacre. “A beautiful, spirited 10 year-old-child, brought light wherever she went. Let us bring a smile, a sense of pure goodness into the lives of those around us.”
Rabbi Ulman noted how Boris Gurman bravely attacked and tackled the gunman to protect others. “Let us find courage to speak up and act when we see evil and injustice,” he said. “Sofia Gurman, who met prejudice with principle. Let us respond to hatred with dignity, humanity and moral strength.”
Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman died protecting his wife. “Let us put the safety and dignity of others before our own comfort,” Rabbi Ulman said. “Tibor Weizen, who greeted children in our synagogue with a smile and a lollipop. Let us make our community a place where the next generation feels safe, happy and loved.”
Boris Tetleroyd, he said, was a devoted provider and a gifted musician. “Let us work hard for our families and use our talents to bring beauty into the world,” he said. “Edith Brutman, a woman of integrity who showed humanity every day. Let our decisions be guided by conscience, not convenience.
Reuven Morrison fought back with courage, determination and faith. “Let us stand firm in what we believe is right,” Rabbi Ulman said. “Yaakov Levitan chose a life of community service over a lucrative career. Let us put meaning before money and purpose before profit.
“And finally, my beloved son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who treated every human being as precious, whether prisoner or prime minister, a billionaire or a beggar, what he saw was a soul deserving of love. Let us try each in our own way to see people as he did.”
Blessings, sadness, and song
When it came time to light the chanukah, Bondi lifesaver Anthony “Harries” Carroll joined Olympic gold medallist Jessica Fox to call out the candle lighters.
“Our background, our culture, it’s everything at this beach. As a proud Bondi lifeguard, Bondi lifesaver and Bondi local, we stand behind our Jewish community. We love and adore you,” Carroll said.
Fox said, “The events that unfolded here on Sunday have shaken us deeply. They have had a devastating impact on our Jewish community, our Bondi community, and our Australian community as a whole.
“What was once a place of safety and joy became the site of unimaginable loss, and we carry that sorrow together tonight.”
Candles were lit by first responders; the father of hero Ahmed al-Ahmed, Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed; paramedic Manny Liebermann with Hatzolah’s Rabbi Mendy Litzman; NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanynon; Vladimir Kotlyar form the SES along with Darren Chait from Community Health Support (CHS); NSW Ambulance commissioner and CEO Dominic Morgan;
Surf Lifesaving Australia CEO Steven Pearce; Nossen Schlanger and Shlomo Levitan in memory of their fathers; Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff in honour of his wounded son Leibel Lazaroff; and Nachman Dikstein from ZAKA along with Mendy Amzalak, and a representative of the Sydney Chevra Kadisha.
As rain began to softly fall on those gathered, a fitting metaphor for the collective tears felt by all over the massacre’s youngest victim, Michael Britvan, the father of 10-year-old Matilda, was invited to light the final candle. He was joined by Dovid Super, father of Yanky Super, who injured while helping others.
Earlier in the evening, Britvan and Matilda’s mother, Valentyna, embraced as they slowly danced to a haunting rendition of Waltzing Matilda, performed by singer David Cambpell, along with chorus participation from the crowd.
A series of songs ended the night, backed by Chutney’s band, including Maoz Tzur, I Am Australian and Oseh Shalom.
By then the rain had stopped; the tears from heaven seemingly stemmed by the uplift of the songs. There will be many more tears to come as our community grapples with what happened on that dark Sunday, what was meant to be a joyous first night of Chanukah. There will challenges to come as we rebuild, while for those families directly affected, true healing will always remain elusive.
But as the memorial ended, the comfort of being together, of celebrating those we had lost and the vow to prosper as a proud community in defiance of evil, provided enough inspiration to embark on the next stage of that journey.
May their memories be a blessing.
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