World Jewish Congress American Section Chair J. Philip Rosen issued the following statement in response to the terror attack near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, which occurred as members of the Jewish community were gathering to mark the first night of Hanukkah.
On the first night of Hanukkah, Jews gathered in public at Bondi to celebrate openly and without apology. That act was answered with gunfire. We mourn the lives taken, pray for the wounded, and stand with Australia’s Jewish community as it confronts yet another reminder that Jewish visibility is still treated as a target.
While details are still emerging, certain truths are clear. This attack did not arise in isolation. Antisemitic violence is the final stage of a deliberate process. It is cultivated by regimes and movements that spread hatred, launder it through institutions and education, subsidize it with money and propaganda, and export it until it reaches an individual willing to kill. Terrorists pull the trigger, but responsibility runs far upstream. Those who incite, finance, legitimize, and excuse this violence are active participants.
Moments like this demand action, not ritual condemnation. Governments should adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, appoint empowered national coordinators, and use legislation and executive authority to disrupt networks that sustain antisemitic extremism.
The United States has chosen to lead the global fight against antisemitism, and this is the moment to deepen that leadership. With renewed focus and strengthened tools, America can set the standard others must follow and make clear that sustained antisemitic violence will be confronted, not absorbed.
Hanukkah is not about enduring darkness. It is about refusing to accommodate it.
We know the fear this moment brings, and we affirm plainly: Jewish life is not negotiable, and Jewish safety is not optional.
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