Public Menorah lighting to continue in solidarity after Sydney attack
Image: Reuters
A public Menorah lighting scheduled to take place at City Hall this evening is going ahead “with even greater strength and purpose” following a terror attack that targeted the Jewish community in Australia.
At least 11 people were killed and 29 injured after two gunmen opened fire at Bondi Beach during an event marking the first day of Hanukkah, according to ABC News.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as an “act of evil antisemitism.”
Rabbi Chaim Birnhack, Rabbi and Director of Chabad Bermuda, said: “Earlier today, during a Menorah lighting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, a horrific terrorist attack took place. Among those brutally shot and killed was my dear friend and colleague, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Chabad rabbi who devoted his life to spreading light, kindness, and Jewish pride.
“Our hearts are broken. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, the injured, and the families whose lives have been shattered by this act of hatred.
“This evening, as we gather for Bermuda’s public Menorah lighting, our response is clear and deliberate. We are going ahead with the event, and we are doing so with even greater strength and purpose. Chanukah teaches us that when darkness strikes, the Jewish response is not to retreat, not to cancel, and not to hide — but to add light.
“This will be the response not only here in Bermuda, but by my colleagues across the world, and by Jewish communities everywhere. At the very moment Jews were gathering in Australia to spread light, they were met with darkness — and the answer, here and everywhere, will be to continue lighting, adding, and spreading even more light.
“Terror seeks to intimidate and silence. We respond by standing taller, lighting brighter, and strengthening one another. Tonight, every candle we light is a statement that darkness will not have the final word.
“May the light of Chanukah bring comfort to the wounded, strength to the grieving, and hope to a world that desperately needs it.”
The Chanukah Menorah lighting will take place on the steps of City Hall this evening at 5 pm.
