Dear Tanenbaum Community,
We are devastated by the horrific shooting that took place on Bondi Beach, Syndey, Australia, on December 14th. The attack targeted the Jewish community during a celebration of the first day of Hanukkah. We grieve the loss of the 15 lives taken and join the global community in extending our deepest condolences to their loved ones. Our hearts are with the more than 30 people who remain injured, as well as with Jewish communities everywhere who share in this pain. Our thoughts are also with Ahmed al-Ahmed, who heroically intervened to disarm one of the gunmen and is now recovering from surgery.
As I read through the names of the victims — a Holocaust survivor who died shielding his wife, a 10-year-old girl who was described as a “happy child with a beautiful smile”, a nephew of a rabbi who himself was shot during a Passover 2019 attack at his congregation — I am overwhelmed with sadness. Reading their stories also reinforces a personal belief of mine: that we are all related through any number of degrees of separation. These senseless acts of terror underscore our shared responsibility to respect and care for one another across all beliefs and backgrounds. No one should be afraid to join their community in celebration of their faith.
These quotes have stayed with me while reading through reports of the attack:
“When he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking about the background of the people he’s saving, the people dying in the street,” said Ahmed’s father. “He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia, there’s no difference between one citizen and another.”
– Father of Ahmed al Ahmed
“My husband is Russian, my father is Jewish, my grandpa is Muslim. This is not only about Bondi, this is about every person.”
– Veronica Pochuev, a visitor bringing flowers for Ahmed al-Ahmed
“I condemn this act of violence without any hesitation. What I find deeply ironic is that the very Quran he (one of the gunmen) was learning to recite clearly states that taking one innocent life is like killing all of humanity. This makes it clear that what unfolded yesterday at (Bondi) is completely forbidden in Islam.”
– Imam Sheikh Adam Ismail
It is challenging to hold onto light in the best of times. It is much harder to generate and hold onto the light during such dark times. In the spirit of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, I invite us all to do just that. And if you find that someone can’t hold the light at this moment, bear it and hold it for them. Holding the light for each other will carry us through.
In Community,
Rev. Mark Fowler, CEO, Tanenbaum