‘We Will Not Hide in Our Houses’: Jewish Leaders Vow Defiance After Bondi Attack

Community figures said fear has grown in Australia over the past two years and urged national leaders to confront antisemitism and protect public gatherings

David Velik was at home near Sydney’s Bondi Beach when sirens began blaring and helicopters shook his street. The Sydney-based member of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors immediately sensed something serious had happened.

“I started receiving messages from friends,” he told The Media Line. “People at other Hanukkah events in the area were asked to lock down. On TV and social media, there were videos of people running away.”

Across the area, mental health support worker Chaim Waks was on the phone with an elderly Israeli woman who had been at the scene. He said she was “going between crying and screaming. She was unstable and in shock.”

Waks spoke with her for about half an hour, helping her stabilize. He told The Media Line that the woman, who moved to Australia from Israel 40 years ago, said she was terrified and wanted to go home.

Those frantic moments unfolded during a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday. At least 12 people were killed—including one of the suspected shooters—and about 29 others were wounded, among them bystanders and at least two law enforcement officers, according to authorities and community leaders. The attack targeted a Chabad-linked family event marking the first night of the Jewish holiday that drew roughly 2,000 people. Police said one gunman was shot and killed, a second suspect was in critical condition, and investigators continued to secure the scene after identifying an additional security threat.

A bystander took the weapon from one of the terrorists In Bondi Beach pic.twitter.com/SYWKitf1hO

— Guy Elster גיא אלסטר (@guyelster) December 14, 2025

Authorities designated the incident a terror attack. The event, Hanukkah by the Sea, is an annual gathering organized by Chabad of Bondi, where the community lights the menorah on the first night of the holiday.

Among the dead was a Chabad emissary, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of at least 12 people confirmed killed. Dozens more were injured, and local media reported that the casualty toll could rise.

Arsen Ostrovsky, who lived in Israel until weeks ago and returned to Sydney last month to take up the role of head of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council’s Sydney office, attended the event with his family. He was struck by a bullet and was reported to be in stable condition.

New South Wales law enforcement officials said one gunman was shot and killed, while a second suspect was in critical condition. Police said they were examining whether a third person was involved, though they had not confirmed it.

My friend Arsen Ostrovsky, injured in the horrific, bloody attack in Sydney on a Jewish community Hanukkah celebration: pic.twitter.com/4iUAWdAYig

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In a statement, local authorities wrote: “The police operation is ongoing. We continue to urge people to avoid the area. Please obey ALL police directions. Do not cross police lines.”

Officials said they found a vehicle in Bondi containing an explosive device that they believe was linked to the deceased terrorist.

“We have found an improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a news conference.

As of publication, the investigation was still underway, and further details were expected to emerge.

For over two years, we’ve been warning against this day because hate speech always results in violent action

“For over two years, we’ve been warning against this day because hate speech always results in violent action,” said Lynda Ben-Menashe, head of the National Council of Jewish Women Australia.

Ben-Menashe told The Media Line that the Jewish community has been living in distress for the past two years, especially as hate speech has grown and calls to globalize the intifada have spread. She described Sunday’s attack as “inevitable.”

She said Bondi Beach is an iconic Australian location, making the attack resonate far beyond the Jewish community. Ben-Menashe added that anyone walking through the area could also have been at risk, and that the shooting sends a grim message: Australians gathering for a religious celebration at Bondi Beach can be targeted.

“We saw Jews murdered in the streets of Washington, DC and Paris, and we prayed it would not happen here, but we knew it would without our government taking steps to prevent it,” she said. “It is so shocking but also totally unsurprising. The Australian Jewish community, and the reputation of Australia in the world, will never be the same.”

“It is time for Australians to wake up to the fact that it is no longer a safe haven from all the trouble in the rest of the world,” Ben-Menashe added.

Survey data has reinforced those fears. The National Council of Jewish Women Australia recently asked Jewish Australian women how they were feeling; more than half said they felt unsafe being identified as Jewish or Israeli. Two in five said they actively hid their Jewish identities, and nearly one in two reported feeling isolated or excluded in social, professional, or other settings.

More than 19% of Australian Jewish women said they had changed their everyday routines out of fear of antisemitic attacks.

“The community is deeply traumatized,” said Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia. Speaking from Melbourne, he said families were still struggling to learn whether loved ones had been killed or wounded.

“Right now, we need to focus on the victims and their families,” Leibler said. “What we expect from our government and leaders is to demonstrate the leadership we have been desperately asking for for the last two years.”

Just days earlier, Leibler met with The Media Line and expressed optimism that healing could begin in Australia as it appeared the war was winding down.

“I was asked, do I feel like we are being pushed into gas chambers, and now I seriously have to rethink,” he said. “The other day, when I said no, was I self-rationalizing and willing things to be better now that all the living hostages had been returned and we could look forward? Is that just me who wants to look forward but really be in denial that we have a very, very serious problem in this country?”

In response to the attack, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the scenes “shocking and distressing.”

Israeli officials said the warning signs had been clear long before the attack.

“What starts with genocidal cries for the destruction of Israel, unsurprisingly ends with arson attacks on synagogues and murderous terror shootings against Jews at a Hanukkah event,” said Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz. “The writing was on the wall, and despite repeated warnings, the Australian authorities missed it once again.”

President Isaac Herzog also expressed solidarity with the Jewish community. Speaking at an event celebrating immigrants to Israel, he said, “Our hearts go out to them. The heart of the entire nation of Israel misses a beat at this very moment, as we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them, and we pray for those who lost their lives. We send our warmest strength from Jerusalem.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel echoed those sentiments, adding, “Hanukkah is meant to be a time of light and joy. No community should ever face violence or fear while celebrating their faith.”

Velik said the community was “distraught and shocked.” He described the past two years as a period of rising antisemitism in Australia, but said this attack was unlike anything the community had seen before.

“We thought perhaps we had turned a corner; now we are all ripped to shreds,” Velik added. He told The Media Line that many families had discussed leaving Australia in recent months and said he expected those conversations to intensify in the coming days.

“It is becoming unsafe to be Jewish in Australia,” he said.

Velik noted that the Jewish community in Australia has existed since before federation and has contributed significantly to society. His own family has lived there for three generations.

“It is truly heartbreaking that a community that has given so much to this country, that was given refuge in this country, is being chewed up and spit out,” Velik said. “It is really difficult to say where we go from here.”

We will not hide in our houses or behind walls. We understand this is not really an attack on the Jewish community but on Australia and our way of life.

Still, Leibler struck a more defiant tone. He said one thing was sure: “We will not hide in our houses or behind walls. We understand this is not really an attack on the Jewish community but on Australia and our way of life.”

The story remained developing late Sunday, and authorities said further updates would follow as the investigation continues.

This is a developing story.