Global solidarity for Chabad of Bondi

Hundreds gathered at Bondi Beach recently for a Havdalah ceremony marking 30 days since the Chanukah terrorist attack that killed 15 people, including two local Chabad rabbis.

Via livestream, over 1200 young Jewish professionals from 30 countries stood with them from a Brooklyn ballroom, candles in hand, chanting “We love you Sydney!” in a display of cross-continental solidarity.

“This livestream coming from New York to Bondi and back has been immense for our community,” said Chabad Young Professionals (CYP) Bondi director Rabbi Mendy Ulman, brother-in-law of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was murdered in the attack.

“It has given us strength beyond words. In the past, our young community might have felt a little far away because of the physical distance. But this moment we shared is so powerful, we feel closer than ever.”

Bondi survivor Daniella Mishtler said: “I haven’t felt ready to attend Jewish celebrations, but it was time to heal with my Jewish brothers and sisters from around the world. It was such a beautiful experience and highlighted how emotionally interconnected we are as a global Jewish nation.”

Member of the Bondi Jewish CYP community Ricky Studencki said: “To see everyone here in Bondi celebrating the end of Shabbat with the Encounter Summit in New York, is something the late Rabbi Eli Schlanger would be very proud of.”

In response to the Bondi tragedy, the international gathering announced the establishment of 10 new CYP Lounges worldwide for young Jewish professionals. The lounges will serve as spaces where young Jewish professionals can network, learn Torah, celebrate their heritage and launch new initiatives for their communities.

“When they try to extinguish our light, our response is to increase it,” said Chabad World Headquarters executive director Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky.

For Jacob Kasper from Estonia, the moment felt deeply personal. His older brother lives in Australia and regularly attends Chabad events there.

“When news of the Bondi attack first broke, fear was my immediate reaction,” he said.

“When we saw the Australian young Jews together with us through the livestream, mourning yet still celebrating their Jewishness, it reminded me that we have to keep adding goodness to the world. As a member of a very small Jewish community, it’s so important to be part of something bigger. We can’t wait to have such spaces in Estonia.”

The ceremony took place during CYP Encounter, a four-day summit in New York that has become the largest international gathering of young Jewish professionals in the world. This year’s gathering carried added significance as Jewish communities worldwide grappled with rising antisemitism.

“Each one of you is a light and a leader. I’m inspired by your unwavering commitment to stand proudly wherever you are and uplift and include those around you,” Rabbi Kotlarsky told the crowds in both cities.

Jonathan Pachter, a finance professional from Paris who attended the summit, said: “In my city, wearing a kippah has become an act of courage. But seeing successful Jewish professionals here living proudly gives us strength.”

On Friday afternoon in New York, before Shabbat began, attendees heard from Eliya Cohen, who spent 505 days as a hostage in Gaza after being kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Cohen spoke about resilience, faith and maintaining hope under extreme conditions.

The weekend also featured a speed-dating event, sessions with Jewish industry leaders discussing how to navigate professional life whilst maintaining Jewish values, and workshops addressing mental health, dating and confronting antisemitism in the workplace.

For Lucretia Kleiman, a pharmaceutical coordinator from New Jersey, the weekend represented a continuation of a journey that began in high school. Raised in a Conservative Jewish household, she became involved in CTeen (Chabad Teen) and later founded the Chabad House at her college.

“The Lubavitcher Rebbe always said, ‘A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness,'” Kleiman said.

“With so much darkness in the world, I think bringing that light back to my community, more events, more classes, is what we need.”

The Bondi community’s participation in the international Havdalah ceremony demonstrated the resilience and unity of the global Jewish community in the face of terrorism and rising antisemitism.

As Rabbi Ulman noted, the physical distance that once separated Australian Jews from their international counterparts has been bridged by shared experience and mutual support.

The ceremony and summit underscore a commitment among young Jewish professionals worldwide to respond to darkness with increased light, maintaining proud Jewish identities and building stronger communities despite ongoing challenges and threats.