Nura Bentata
On Sunday December 14th, the Jewish community around the world prepared for the first night of Hanukkah. Over eight nights, Hanukkah commemorates the biblical story of the victory of the Jewish people over their oppressors after the desecration of the Second Temple. It is celebrated for eight nights to reflect the miracle of how the small amount of oil remaining for the temple light lasted for eight days instead of one. On the day which began this festival of light and joy for Jewish people worldwide, the world woke up to the news that two gunmen had, in an antisemitic terror attack, targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The two gunmen fired over a hundred shots at families and friends gathering to celebrate, killing fifteen and injuring over forty, with ten still hospitalised at the time of writing.
This attack shook the global Jewish community, not only because of how small and interconnected it is, but also because it further intensified fears over Jewish safety worldwide.
Amongst the victims were ten-year-old Matilda Britvan, whose six-year-old sister witnessed her murder, and eighty-seven-year-old Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman, who died shielding his wife from the bullets. Another two of the victims were Sofia and Boris Gurman, a husband and wife about to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary, who courageously disarmed one of the gunmen until he produced a second weapon and killed them both.
This attack shook the global Jewish community, not only because of how small and interconnected it is, but also because it further intensified fears over Jewish safety worldwide. Other recent antisemitic hate crimes also include the attack in October, which killed three at a synagogue in Manchester and took place on Yom Kippur, another Jewish holy day. These attacks have led Jews across the world to question whether they will be safe to gather for their holidays. Indeed, Hanukkah celebrations in Melbourne were cancelled following the attack. This attack also shook the wider Australian community, as the attack was both the deadliest mass shooting there since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre and also targeted an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach.
It is in the spirit of Hanukkah to look at how amidst the very worst of human nature, there can be light in the darkness.
Despite everyone fearing for their own survival and that of their loved ones, in the last week, the news has been filled with acts of true selflessness as people risked their own lives to save strangers. To some extent, this focus on acts of heroism has obscured the true horror of the attacks. However, it is in the spirit of Hanukkah to look at how, amidst the very worst of human nature, there can be light in the darkness. Numerous accounts of passers-by leaving the beach and turning back to spread a warning to others in the early stages of gunfire immediately surfaced, with one particular passer-by capturing the public’s attention.
A video quickly became viral of a man nearby who saw what was happening and immediately charged one of the gunmen, successfully disarming him, and was injured in doing so. This truly courageous man was later named as Ahmed Al-Ahmed, a Muslim Syrian-Australian immigrant whose actions served as a powerful reminder of the difference between religion and religious extremism, given the context that the attackers were also Muslim. Indeed, from his hospital bed, he underlined his belief in the shared humanity of all Australians by saying ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.’ At a time of so much polarisation between the Muslim and Jewish communities and people in general, his act of selflessness touched the world, with over $2.5M donated to his recovery at the time of writing.
There were also countless beachgoers who risked their own lives to save others, despite being in immediate danger. One such individual was Jess Rozen, who is five months pregnant with her third child. In the chaos of trying to find her own three-year-old son, Jess heard a little girl crying and ran to her, sheltering her with her body until the gunfire ceased, despite not knowing where her own child was. Footage has surfaced showing Jess remaining remarkably calm and repeating the words ‘I got you’ to the girl despite gunshots and screams around them. Jess and the toddler Gigi both survived the attack, as did Jess’s own son and her husband. Gigi’s father called her a hero for saving his daughter’s life. Jess told the media she did not feel like she should be called a ‘hero’, saying, ‘If you see a baby and the baby is crying and they do not have anyone and they are not safe, you help a baby.’
Thousands gathered on Bondi Beach to commemorate a week since the attacks and hold a minute’s silence for the victims.
Another individual who physically shielded young children from harm was Chaya Dadon, who is only fourteen years old. She had sheltered under a bench, and during a brief pause in the shooting, saw a woman who had been shot in the head and was begging her to save her son and the other child next to her. As shots began to fire again, she climbed out from under the bench amidst shouts to get down and save herself, and lay her body on top of the two toddlers, reciting prayers for their safety. Chaya was shot in the leg during this and has since been treated in the hospital. When interviewed, Chaya said ‘If you could ask me what was one word to describe the Jewish community, I would say family. In that moment it felt like we were all brothers and sisters.’
Chaya also spoke about her experience at the ‘Light over Darkness’ vigil held on Sunday 21 December. Thousands gathered on Bondi Beach to commemorate a week since the attacks and hold a minute’s silence for the victims. There was a rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ in memory of ten-year-old Matilda Britvan, for whom there were also numerous bumblebee balloons, as ‘Bee’ was her middle name. Chaya took the stage whilst still in crutches from her leg injury, and said, ‘If you guys get inspired by one thing, one thing in all this, be the light in that field of darkness.’ Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, whose son-in-law Rabbi Eli Schlanger was killed in the shooting, echoed a similar sentiment, saying ‘I stand here tonight to say loud and clear that darkness does not get the final word. Light will win.’
In a world often too full of darkness, every one of us can choose to bring light.
Tonight I will light the menorah with my family for the eighth and final night of Hanukkah. Normally, this would involve nine candles; however, this year, we will light an extra candle in memory of the fifteen who were taken from us too soon to see this night. This year, the message of Hanukkah feels more relevant than ever, as it seeks to remind us of the endurance of the Jewish people in the darkest of times and the power of hope. Whether Jewish or not, may we all remember both the victims and the heroic acts that took place on Bondi Beach, and how, in a world often too full of darkness, every one of us can choose to bring light.
Nura Bentata
Featured image courtesy of Jay Wennington via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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