2025 Bondi Beach Shooting   Wikipedia

On the first night of Hanukkah 2025 - at a crowded "Hanukkah by the Sea" celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia - a moment meant to be defined by light and tradition was shattered by an act of terrorism taking the lives of 15 and wounding 40 other innocent people including a Holocaust survivor, and 10 year old girl, and a rabbi.

Jewish communities around the world are uniting in prayer and mourning. Here in NYC - as Hanukkah set it - you could feel the connection of its Jewish population as Jews discuss the rise of antisemitism around the world in recent years.

The mourning continues across oceans and time zones - in prayers whispered, candles lit, and hearts made heavy by loss and the memories of those lost in the most recent war with Hamas.

On a holiday rooted in remembrance and resilience, the grief is profound, and the resolve to remember is unwavering.

The Jewish people, long accustomed to carrying memory forward, refuse to let terror have the final word. In the face of darkness, the flame endures.