On a quiet Sunday in December 2025, more than a thousand people gathered at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, a festival of light, hope, and resilience. What should have been a joyous occasion suddenly turned tragic when two gunmen armed with long rifles emerged from a car and opened fire on the crowd.
At least 11 people were killed, many more seriously wounded, and one of the attackers was later killed by police while the other remains in critical condition. This assault was no random act of violence; it was a deliberate terrorist attack on a peaceful Jewish community.
The brutality of this attack, coming amid a worrying rise in antisemitism in Australia and worldwide, has shaken many to the core. Australian officials and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have condemned it as an “act of evil,” reaffirming that every member of the Jewish community deserves to feel safe and protected.
When terror is minimized and misnamed
Yet, despite declarations and promises, a dark question looms over the world’s reaction: will this massacre trigger widespread outrage and real, sustained action against antisemitism, or will it be met with hollow condolences while antisemitic hate quietly festers?
Even as global leaders voiced shock and solidarity, from the United Nations to Israel, some media outlets have struggled to capture the full gravity and intent behind the attack.
Early reports mischaracterized the size of the gathering, suggesting it was a small event rather than a well-attended public celebration. Others omitted the antisemitic motivation, framing the shooting as part of vague “violence” without acknowledging the targeted nature against Jews marking Hanukkah. These distortions matter because they shape public perception about what happened, why it happened, and what must be done.
Such misrepresentations risk reducing this terrorist attack to just another headline rather than a symptom of a global surge in hatred. Over the past year, incidents of antisemitism in Australia have nearly quintupled compared to pre-2025 levels. Synagogues have been vandalized, Jewish individuals harassed, and the narrative against Jews has morphed into one where hostility is increasingly normalized.
This attack, anyone with eyes can see, is not an isolated anomaly but part of a broader, dangerous trend.
The global community now stands at a crossroads. One path leads to passive acknowledgment, where the Jewish victims are mourned briefly before public attention drifts elsewhere. The other demands persistent and forceful rejection of antisemitism and recognition that attacks on Jews are attacks on basic human dignity and freedom. Governments, media, and citizens must unite to confront the hateful rhetoric and violent acts wherever they appear.
Hanukkah itself tells the story of resistance against oppression and asserting the right to religious freedom. The attack at Bondi Beach is a stark reminder that this struggle is far from over. As the candles are lit in solidarity this year, the world must decide: will it stand with the Jewish community in defiance of hatred, or allow silence and misunderstanding to further embolden the forces of antisemitism?
What happened at Bondi Beach demands more than words. It requires arms locked in common cause, policies that break cycles of hate, and a refusal to let Jews be seen as “other” or as acceptable targets of violence. This massacre should ignite not only grief but also a furious resolve to make the kind of change that ensures no community ever again faces such terror in peace’s sacred moments.
Still, words do matter; they matter greatly. They do not exist in a vacuum, and when spoken by people seeking or holding power, they carry weight far beyond intention. Phrases like “Globalize the Intifada” may be defended by some as political rhetoric or historical reference, but to Jews worldwide, they are heard as a call to violence, not debate.
Intifadas were never an abstract movement – they were marked by bombings, stabbings, and the deliberate targeting of civilians.
Language helps set the moral weather. It signals what is tolerated, what is excused, and what is implicitly encouraged. When violent slogans are normalized, those already inclined toward hatred can feel validated and emboldened.
Even if just one percent of the world’s population screams “Globalize the Intifada” and others reject the notion that it is a call of antisemitic hatred, that is a very large number of people who can potentially perpetrate more of the same attacks on Jews as we have seen in Australia, the US, and Europe.
Leadership demands more than passion; it demands precision. History shows us that words can inflame or restrain. Anyone aspiring to lead New York, Bondi, or any other city should understand that the power of words can protect communities or place them at risk.
Dr. Michael J. Salamon is a psychologist specializing in trauma and abuse and director of ADC Psychological Services in Netanya and Hewlett, NY.
Louis Libin is an expert in military strategies, wireless innovation, emergency communications, and cybersecurity.