{"id":90797,"date":"2025-12-15T22:15:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T03:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=90797"},"modified":"2025-12-16T02:24:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T07:24:47","slug":"sydney-opera-house-lit-by-giant-menorah-as-vigils-for-bondi-beach-victims-take-place-across-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/sydney-opera-house-lit-by-giant-menorah-as-vigils-for-bondi-beach-victims-take-place-across-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Opera House lit by giant menorah as vigils for Bondi Beach victims take place across Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

(JTA) \u2014 The Sydney Opera House was illuminated by a large menorah Monday night, a solemn tribute to the 15 lives lost the previous day in an antisemitic terror attack that rocked Australia\u2019s Jewish community.<\/p>\n

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The Chanukah menorah is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House on December 15, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (James D. Morgan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The projected menorah, displayed on the iconic opera house\u2019s largest sail, was called for by the premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns.<\/p>\n

\u201cLighting the Opera House is a simple but powerful gesture: a message to the world that we cherish our Jewish community, that we honour their courage, and that we stand with them in solidarity and love,\u201d Minns said in a statement. \u201cTonight, those candles are a symbol of resilience and a reminder that even in darkness, we choose to stand with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

The light of the menorah was one of several acts of remembrance that sprung up across Australia on Monday, a day after two terrorists opened fire on a ChabadHanukkah event on Bondi Beach, killing 15 and injuring at least 40.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the Australian broadcaster ABC on Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the two gunmen \u201cweren\u2019t part of a wider cell,\u201d and had \u201cengaged in this act of antisemitism, driven by ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hundreds of bouquets were placed around a large menorah in front of the Bondi Pavilion on Monday, where more than 1,000 people gathered for a vigil, according to ABC.<\/p>\n

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Community members gather outside of Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on December 15, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Audrey Richardson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYesterday was a tragic event, which words cannot explain,\u201d Rabbi Yossi Shuchat told those gathered as he lit two candles to mark the second night of Hanukkah. \u201cLightness will always persevere; darkness cannot continue where there is light.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the vigil, a Jewish activist, Michelle Berkon, was removed by police for wearing a keffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian headscarf that has become a symbol of anti-Israel protest, according to The Australian.<\/p>\n

In Sydney\u2019s Hyde Park, hundreds also gathered for an interfaith ceremony where speeches were given by First Nation community members and spokespeople from the Jewish Council of Australia and the Australian Imams Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many in our Jewish community have received messages of love from leaders in different faith communities, from Palestinian friends and friends around this country, and in so doing, we are now learning we are all just flesh and blood, and we are all also the light,\u201d said Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins from the Emmanuel Synagogue in Woollahra, according to ABC.<\/p>\n

The Caulfield Shule, a synagogue in a suburb of Melbourne that serves a large Jewish community, was also packed to capacity by 2,000 people on Monday.<\/p>\n

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