WELLINGTON, Aotearoa New Zealand — The New Zealand Jewish Council expresses its profound sorrow and shock following yesterday’s terror attack targeting Jews celebrating the first night of the festival of Chanukah at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the wider Australian community as they grieve and begin the long process of healing.

This attack has been felt deeply by Jewish communities across Australasia. Whenever Jews are attacked anywhere in the world, we feel the pain that comes with being a people, but when it is so close and in a place familiar to so many, we feel it even more.

The attack is a brutal reminder of the real and human cost of extremism and incitement, and of the vulnerability felt by minority communities when hatred is acted upon in public spaces.

The Council wishes to thank the New Zealand public, community leaders, and politicians for the messages of solidarity and support we have received since last night. That support matters. It reassures Jewish New Zealanders that we are not alone, and that our safety and belonging are taken seriously.

We are also grateful for the clear and ongoing commitment from the government and New Zealand’s security and law enforcement agencies to protect communities here at home. The engagement we have had with authorities provides comfort at a time when many Jewish families are understandably anxious about the potential for similar acts of violence.

“This was an attack on innocent people going about their lives, and it has shaken communities well beyond Australia,” said NZ Jewish Council spokesperson Ben Kepes. “The response we have seen in New Zealand, from political leaders, officials, and ordinary New Zealanders, reflects the best of New Zealand and the values we want to hold onto. Compassion, responsibility, and a shared determination to keep people safe.”

The New Zealand Jewish Council has noted on many occasions its concerns about a heightened climate in which the justification of violence against Jews has become normalised. “We call on all New Zealanders to reject extremism and hatred in all its forms, and to support efforts that strengthen social cohesion, protect vulnerable communities, and uphold the dignity and safety of every person.

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