Unity farbrengen brings comfort after Bondi attack
A special Unity Farbrengen was held to bring together the Sydney Jewish community in a setting of warmth, reflection and strength following the Bondi Beach terror attack
A special Unity Farbrengen was held to bring together the Sydney Jewish community in a setting of warmth, reflection and strength following the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Rabbi Pinchus Feldman, personal emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to New South Wales since 1968, said there was a clear need for an intimate gathering that would allow the community to come together on a deeper level.
While a major communal Chanukah event drew over 20,000 participants on the final night of the festival, Feldman emphasised the importance of a more personal farbrengen – one where people could sit together, sing together and draw strength from one another.
The Unity Farbrengen was coordinated by Chabad Youth NSW and hosted at Chabad of Bondi, with a full catered dinner. The evening was MC’d by Rabbi Elimelech Levy.
The program opened with the singing of solemn Chabad nigunim, led by chazanim Rabbi Menachem Feldman and Rabbi Chaim Koncepolski. They were later joined by Rabbi Yehuda Niasoff and Rabbi Noach Koncepolski, whose melodies created an atmosphere of deep emotion and connection.
A video of the Lubavitcher Rebbe from the 1970s was shown, in which the Rebbe addressed the incomprehensibility of the Holocaust, explaining that it cannot be understood intellectually or emotionally. Instead, the Rebbe emphasised the eternal nature of the soul, and that the relationship between body and soul is momentary when compared to the everlasting Divine spark that gives life and meaning.
Feldman spoke about the importance of the community coming together to give one another chizuk and encouragement during difficult times, highlighting the strength found in unity and shared purpose.
Words of comfort were also shared by Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner, head shliach of Melbourne, and Rabbi Yoram Ulman, Rav of Chabad of Bondi and host of Chanukah at the Sea, where the attack had taken place days earlier.
The guest speaker was Rabbi Mendel Lipskar, head Chabad shliach to South Africa, who travelled to Sydney on behalf of Agudas Chasidei Chabad to bring comfort, encouragement and inspiration to the community. Lipskar spoke passionately about resilience, faith and the enduring strength of the Jewish people.
The evening concluded with remarks from Rabbi Nochum Schapiro, Rav of Chabad North Shore and president of the Rabbinical Association of Australasia, who encouraged participants to immediately begin bringing menorahs into their office buildings and places of work, spreading light and Jewish pride.
The Unity Farbrengen was held in honour of all those who perished, to strengthen and uplift those who were wounded or impacted, and to commemorate Didan Notzach on Hey Teves.
The Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14 killed 15 people during a Chanukah celebration.
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