Senior Rabbi Condemns Australia’s Response to Deadly Bondi Beach Attack

A senior New York rabbi has condemned Australia’s “inaction” following a devastating mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach that left at least 15 dead and 40 wounded, including two prominent rabbis.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky of the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York City criticized Australian authorities for failing to address what he describes as a growing climate of antisemitism that ultimately led to the deadly attack.

“As well as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, we have now learned that Chabad Rabbi Yaakov Levitan has succumbed to his wounds. May his memory also be a blessing,” Krinsky said in an interview. “Jewish people around the world right now are uneasy, but they are defiant.”

The December 14 tragedy occurred when two gunmen, reportedly a father and son, opened fire on a large “Chanukah by the Sea” gathering near Campbell Parade at Bondi Beach. The attack is being investigated as a terrorist incident, with police discovering improvised explosive devices in one suspect’s vehicle. The elder assailant was killed at the scene, while his son was taken into custody in critical condition.

“Every incremental escalation of antisemitic language that is tolerated has a direct, and now, deadly, consequence, and must no longer go unchecked,” Krinsky emphasized. “Australian authorities need to act with alacrity and stamp out both the acts and the rhetoric that normalize antisemitism.”

Krinsky’s criticism reflects his firsthand experience with growing antisemitism in Australia. He was in Melbourne in July when an arson attack targeted the East Melbourne Synagogue, an incident that he says revealed concerning patterns in official responses.

“I witnessed firsthand the unease and concern felt by many within the Australian Jewish community amid the rise in antisemitic incitement, and their sense that the response from the authorities was inadequate,” he explained. “At that point, there was a feeling that the Jewish community in Australia has been increasingly uneasy with what they feel is the lack of a strong enough response to these acts.”

Among the first victims identified was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and one of the organizers of the beach celebration. Born in the UK, Schlanger had moved to Sydney approximately 18 years ago with his wife Chaya, daughter of prominent Australian Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, to help grow the local Jewish community.

“Rabbi Schlanger had deep ties to the United States and studied here,” Krinsky noted. “He dedicated his life to living in communities around the world, far away from home, inspired by the Rebbe’s teachings and vision.”

The attack has drawn widespread condemnation, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing it as an “act of pure evil.” The incident represents one of the most significant antisemitic attacks in Australia’s recent history and comes amid growing concerns about increasing antisemitism globally.

The Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters released a statement emphasizing the attack’s nature: “Let us be clear: this was a treacherous act of terror – an attack on the community, on goodness, and on light itself. It reflects a climate in which Jew hatred has been allowed to grow and to turn violent. That reality must be confronted.”

Despite the tragedy, Krinsky emphasized the resilient response from Jewish communities worldwide. “We are crushed for the families who were celebrating the Festival of Light on Bondi Beach. But every Chabad community worldwide is already doing what we do best: spreading more light, strengthening Jewish pride and observance, and increasing acts of goodness and kindness.”

The attack occurred during Hanukkah, a Jewish festival celebrating light overcoming darkness—a symbolism that Krinsky underscored in his final message: “The perpetrator may have wanted to dim the Hanukkah lights in Sydney – but they will burn even brighter across Australia and around the globe.”