Sydney: What Do We Do Now?

The news this week of tragedy suffered by the Jewish community at Bondi beach is just heartbreaking. Fifteen people are dead as I write this with three dozen more in hospital. The impact of this senseless mass shooting, both locally and internationally, is profound.

But it’s the specifics, the stories of those who were killed that really get me. None more so than Matilda, a 10-year-old girl whose immigrant parents chose this quintessential Australian name for their little girl because she was the first Aussie in the family. She was at the beach beside her sister. Amongst the other victims are a long-serving rabbi; a Holocaust survivor who survived Hitler to die on an Australian beach protecting his wife; and a grandma who had won an award for delivering 12,000 meals through Meals on Wheels. As you read this, their loved ones are still sitting shiva (the 7 day mourning period Jews observe). Ordinary people who gathered to celebrate, to be with family and community, to express their joy and love. All destroyed by a father and son, so deluded with hatred, they undertook their violence as a family act.

(Source: Canva.com)

News like this is hard at any time but it may hit some especially hard at this time of year when many are anticipating joyful gatherings with family and community. The horror of losing our own friends, family or community the way those in Bondi have, is unimaginable. 

I was not planning to write about antisemitism this week. Indeed, we wrote about it just over a month ago (just as we have written about Islamophobia, Palestinians, specific individuals in Gaza, or the recent targeting of Muslims by the Quebec government).

But today, in the face of this event, we must talk not only the tragedy in Sydney but also a growing concern, a sense of foreboding among many Canadian Jews – and one I share – that something similar will happen here. In just the past few months, look at what has happened – Jews murdered in hate crimes in Washington D. C., in Colorado, and in Manchester, England before this latest event in Sydney. In Canada, a Jewish woman was stabbed in Ottawa, an Orthodox Jew in Montreal was beaten in front of his children, Toronto neighborhoods have protesters in front of their homes and an apartment building had all of its mezuzahs torn down. All of this in just a few months. And the assailants are always attacking strangers, targeted simply for being Jews.

Antisemitism is growing around the world and some have argued that this is especially true in Canada even if the worst crimes have not happened here as of yet. There’s a great new podcast series about the issue in Canada by Jesse Brown called What is Happening Here. I am only partway through it but even the personal stories in episode one of ordinary Canadian Jews being targeted and the failure of authority figures to respond adequately is difficult to hear. If you want something shorter, this CBC interview of Michael Geist is also quite good. And if you live in the USA, I have heard some positive things about the podcast Antisemitism USA but please note I have not yet had the time to listen to it. 

(Source: What Is Happening Here Podcast)

In reading the CBC coverage of Sydney I was struck again by how interconnected the Jewish community is, with many Canadian Jews having friends or family at the event and several knowing Rabbi Schlanger who was killed. My Jewish friends have a lot of fear right now and I cannot blame them. Antisemitism is a difficult conversation right now as many have strong feelings about the Israeli government but really (and this is a critical point) these issues should be seen as separate. Jews in Canada do not direct the state of Israel anymore than Canadian Russians are responsible for the war in Ukraine. Many also believe that focusing on antisemitism erases others facing discrimination. In truth, however, there is no path forward that ranks which victims to pay attention to. 

I think too that some are afraid that addressing this issue might whitewash Israel’s actions. Again, we should resist conflating antisemitism in Canada or the USA with the government of Israel. And if you know someone who is Jewish, rest assured that reaching out to express comfort or support to your them is a kindness, an act of decency, no more and no less. It’s not a political endorsement of a government an ocean away. Kind words right now are greatly appreciated. 

I worry too for Muslims. It is highly likely that some of them, somewhere, are going to be accused or perhaps have their child or spouse threatened because of the actions of two men they have never met. Muslims as well deserve support and to be treated fairly with dignity and respect. 

(Source: Canva.com)

Our goal here at Encounter is to imagine a different and better world, one where we forge connections and relationships based on respect and understanding. 

I had planned this week to write a retrospective blog about 2025 and how encouraging it is to meet people doing their best to learn about others, to approach uncertainty and sometimes difficult issues with curiosity and compassion. I want you to know the impact of your support in helping Encounter promote religious understanding. We do want to thank so many of you for donating on Giving Tuesday or as part of your year-end donations. These events in Bondi, around the world, and here at home remind us why the work of promoting religious literacy and understanding are so crucial in our societies and our neighbourhoods. 

(Source: Canva.com)

We will write that blog sometime in the new year. For now, we want to offer a few thoughts for ways you can help move the world towards compassion. Definitely reach out to your Jewish friends or neighbours. Consider sending a message of support to your local synagogue – and your local mosque. Let them know you’re thinking of them. Wish them peace and safety.

Stay informed and try to find sources that provide nuance and perspective. If you’re inclined, you might even have opportunities to challenge misinformation and correct misconceptions but this is best done in ways that build conversation and trust – calling people in rather than calling them out. Try not to let another tragedy harden your heart.

And for your own sense of wellbeing, look for the good that is happening. We are grateful to see this in our work with the students we brought to a mosque this week, in the police officers we spoke with last week about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in the many people curious to learn and to understand. We will share more about this in the new year. And of course, sometimes there is heroism for even amidst the tragedy at Bondi, Ahmed el-Ahmed, a Syrian immigrant and Muslim man, seized and disarmed one of the gunmen, took bullets himself, and surely saved lives. 

(Source: Canva.com)

If you celebrate holidays in the coming weeks, we wish you joy and safety. Many of these winter holidays celebrate the return of the light in what is the darkest time of the year. That seems a good metaphor for us to hold onto and to do our small part to help bring it forth.