It’s December 14, 2025, the first night of Hanukkah, and over a thousand people were there for “Chanukah by the Sea” – families, kids, everyone just soaking up that summer vibe with music, games, and the big menorah lighting as the sun dipped into the ocean. Bondi’s is the iconic forever—the birthplace of surf lifesaving, that famous Icebergs pool getting smashed by waves, and just pure energy all year round.
Then, just before 7pm, chaos. Two gunmen in black opened fire from the pedestrian bridge over Archer Park, right near the Bondi Pavilion. Shots rang out for minutes, people screaming, running across the sand, hiding wherever they could. At least 12 dead now, including one of the shooters who got taken down by police, and 29 injured – kids, cops, everyone. They even found IEDs in a car nearby that got defused.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger was among those killed – he was the assistant rabbi helping run the event, a dad, just a good guy loved by the community. An Israeli citizen too. There’s talk of a brave bystander who tackled one gunman, wrestling the rifle away amid all that horror.
Australia’s gun laws are so strict after Port Arthur, we hardly ever see this. Makes it hit even harder. It’s been called a targeted antisemitic terror attack, straight up designed to hit the Jewish community on a day of light and joy. Prime Minister Albanese said it’s evil antisemitism striking the nation’s heart. The NSW Premier called it horrifying.
I keep picturing it: one minute fireworks of celebration, next pure panic – dads grabbing kids, people thinking pops were something else at first, then realizing and bolting. Footage shows the madness, emergency crews rushing in.
The beach is locked down today, cordons everywhere, and flowers starting to pile up. Bondi’s supposed to be escape, happiness, not this nightmare. My thoughts are with the families getting that awful call, the survivors traumatized, the whole Jewish community feeling this fear. The country’s in shock, world leaders condemning it. How does hate turn something so beautiful into this darkness? Just devastating.
Sources:
* Reuters
* ABC News Australia
* The Guardian Australia
* Al Jazeera
* CBS News
* PBS NewsHour
* Axios * The Washington Post
