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The Bondi Beach massacre during Chanukkah left Jewish families grieving and communities in shock. Give now to demonstrate the love of the Messiah, Yeshua, and provide direct support to those affected.

This week, the Sydney Opera House was illuminated with a giant Menorah in tribute to the Bondi terror victims. Yet Australia can — and must — do more than simply display a symbol.

On Sunday evening, 14 December 2025, the worst terrorist attack in Australia’s history occurred at Bondi Beach. Jewish blood was spilt on Australian soil: fifteen innocent people were killed, one terrorist died, and around forty were injured, seventeen of whom remain in hospital.

Gunmen came to the Chanukkah family celebration at Bondi Beach and began shooting innocent Jewish individuals and families for no reason other than their faith. The Jewish community had gathered to light candles and celebrate Chanukkah, a joyous festival on the Jewish calendar. Instead of joy, a massacre unfolded, leaving true Australians reeling from shock and horror.

The Canberra Declaration had its regular Zoom prayer meeting that evening, and we refocused the whole meeting to cry out to the Lord for the Jewish community. This occurred as news streamed in and the whole nation was in shock.

Two gunmen, who had recently visited the Philippines for military-style training, opened fire on innocent people at Bondi Beach, celebrating Chanukkah. One was a 50-year-old father, and the second was his 24-year-old son. The 24-year-old gunman, Naveed Akram, is in hospital in critical condition, while the 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was killed at the scene.

Warnings had been coming in to the Australian Government from Mossad, the Israeli Government, ASIO, and the Jewish community for some time. However, these warnings were ignored. Insufficient action was taken to protect the Jewish community, many of whom are citizens of Australia and have every right to be protected. We are witnessing a steep rise in antisemitism that we have not seen since World War II. Something needs to shift in our beloved country.

The victims ranged from ten years old to eighty-seven. Dear young Matilda, aged ten, died before her time, as did Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

The man accused of fatally shooting fifteen people and injuring forty others in a terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach has since been charged with fifty-nine offences.

As we have seen, vehement protest against a certain people group eventually leads to physical violence — and in this case, murder.

Standing with the Jewish Community

Many of us grieve alongside the Jewish community. From the very beginning, Jewish Australians have been integral to building this nation, contributing significantly across numerous sectors. As citizens of Australia, they deserve protection from the vile hatred and antisemitic behaviour that has surged since the massacre on 7 October.

We thank God for the great and costly investment that the Jewish community has made here in Australia since the First Fleet, when Jewish people, together with others, came to this country to shape a nation.

I am personally grateful to everyone who has been standing with the Jewish community through the various vigils and events to show support. True Aussies do not agree with what has been happening at the pro-Palestinian protests and the consequences that have resulted from these demonstrations.

We look to the God of all comfort, who alone can bring comfort to the grieving families as a result of this massacre.

The ugliness of what we have seen and experienced is not only un-Australian — it is also definitively un-Christian. Australia has traditionally lived according to the Judeo-Christian ethic, based on the Ten Commandments and the New Testament. This has built strength into our nation, and now is the time to not let that strength be eroded.

It is the hope of Celebrate Israel, as we come together with the Canberra Declaration and other supporters, to stand alongside the Jewish community in their hour of need.

At present, multiple agencies are receiving donations to help the Jewish community, together with other options like blood donations. There has been a wonderful response to these initiatives.

We have established a relief fund to provide direct financial support, helping families begin to rebuild their lives after this tragedy. Assistance is especially needed to cover essential commitments when the family’s primary breadwinner has been killed.

Australia is at a crossroads. We now need to be on our guard to save our lives and the lives of our families here in this wonderful Great Southland. This is a day I thought I would never see in my lifetime.

Christians are Part of the Answer

I am not writing today just as an Australian citizen but also as a leader of Celebrate Israel, where we have been building a bridge to the Jewish community. We are a Christian group that prays for Israel and sends support to the land of Israel. My appeal is to the hearts of all true believers in Australia: love your neighbour, as we have been taught by our Messiah, Yeshua.

We all believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and we have been privileged to be grafted into the olive tree — the Father’s beloved chosen people, Israel. As it says in Romans 11:17:

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root.

It is the Father’s heart that we should bless and honour our spiritual fathers. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, shared this thought in his prayer: “to show mercy towards our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant” (Luke 1:72).

After 7 October, Celebrate Israel, in conjunction with the Canberra Declaration, ran an appeal for Israel War Relief, and through generous donations, we were able to send over $100,000 into Israel to assist those who were suffering.

It’s Time to Take Action

To be part of the answer, we have launched a fundraiser, enabling each of us to contribute to the solution. May this act help us do something greater, and perhaps witness a miracle of provision to bless the Jewish community.

This is the least we can do to help the families and those who lost loved ones in the Bondi Beach massacre. Now is the time, before Christmas, to help families who need to make a car payment, pay rent, and buy food. Let us be part of the answer.

We have collaborated with our local Rabbi, Rabbi Yossi Engel, and this is his recommendation so that donations go directly into the hands of families and individuals affected by this tragedy.

Use the donate link below. Contributions will go directly to affected families, through the United Support Fund for the Victims and Families of the Sydney Terror Attack, established by the Jewish community. After clicking the blue donate button on this page, then follow the red donate button at the website. Donations are tax deductable.

Our aim is for the Christian community of Australia to be a blessing to the Jewish community, showing them that we stand with them through these difficult days.

Ultimately, it is not about money, but about making a real difference — reversing the curse and demonstrating love and charity toward our Jewish brothers and sisters.

Most of us are aware of the massacre, as it has been widely publicised across the media. Now, however, it is time to take action and create positive outcomes to ease the mourning and pressures on the Jewish community. A strong show of support, through financial and practical means, will send a powerful message to the Jewish community and, I believe, help bring some comfort in the midst of their intense grief.

May our miracle of giving at this time be not only a blessing to the Jewish community but also bring glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through Messiah Yeshua.

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Image courtesy of Unsplash.