UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis revealed his cousin and cousin’s wife hid under a doughnut stand for 15 minutes during the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney, where gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration, killing fifteen people including a 10-year-old girl.
Bondi Beach Attack and Rising Antisemitism
“People to their right and left were being shot dead,” Rabbi Mirvis said. He emphasized that the Hanukkah message of openly declaring Jewish identity “was met with murderous hatred” at Sunday’s shooting.
Rabbi Mirvis, who will travel to Sydney, called for unity against “the normalised rhetoric that demonises Jews and the only Jewish State” and stressed the right of Jewish communities to gather safely.
He noted that Jews have long faced security concerns, but the current climate requires constant risk assessment for public gatherings, indicating a “deeply wrong” situation. He added that a society where a minority group must calculate the safety of public gatherings is “failing all of its citizens.”
The chief rabbi also stated that Jews are “on the front line” and have repeatedly faced “terrorist attacks.”
UK Response and Security Concerns
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged a “more visible security presence” at Hanukkah events in the UK, with his spokesman stating that “many Jewish people are living in the UK in fear.”
UK Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones will visit Manchester on Monday to celebrate Hanukkah with survivors of the attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in September, which resulted in two Jewish deaths. She expressed solidarity with the UK Jewish community and emphasized the need to ensure safe Hanukkah celebrations.
The shooting in Australia began around 18:47 local time (07:47 GMT) on Sunday, during an event attended by approximately one thousand people organized by Chabad of Bondi. Videos showed people fleeing the scene as gunshots rang out.
Victims and Perpetrators
The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87, including two rabbis and a Holocaust survivor. The gunmen have been identified as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who died at the scene, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, who remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Rabbi Mirvis connected the attack to the increasing prevalence of rhetoric like “globalise the intifada,” arguing that such language incites hatred and violence. He questioned why such chants are permitted and asserted that they directly relate to the events at Bondi Beach.
Increased Hate Crime and Calls for Action
The Community Security Trust (CST), which protects Jewish communities in the UK, reported record levels of anti-Jewish hate crime, beginning immediately after the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel.
Dave Rich, CST’s head of policy, noted ongoing protests with calls for intifada and emphasized that Jewish people perceive a link between violent rhetoric and violent actions. He described the Bondi attacks as “the extreme end of this political spectrum.”
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch expressed horror at the attacks and acknowledged the rise of antisemitism, stating that the government has not done enough to address the issue in recent years.
Rabbi Mirvis concluded by referencing the historical Hanukkah story of Jewish defiance against Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes, who attempted to suppress their faith. He affirmed the Jewish community’s resilience and determination to continue practicing their faith openly despite ongoing concerns.
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