"On television, in front of everybody, he [Rabbi Feldman] said:' Let us love each other. Let us care about each other'.'”
ST MARY'S CATHEDRAL in Sydney, Australia, published in the Australian Jewish News by Shane Desiatnik
Menorah image beamed onto cathedral in solidarity
Saint Mary's Cathedral's opening night of Christmas event pivoted into an interfaith vigil for the terror victims.
Thousands of Sydneysiders of all faiths and walks of life gathered in the St Mary’s Cathedral forecourt on Tuesday evening for the iconic cathedral’s annual ‘Opening Night of Christmas’ event, which fittingly on this occasion, was rededicated to bringing people together in unity, shared grief, and solemn tribute, for the victims of the previous Sunday’s deadly Bondi Beach Chanukah terror attack.
After the moving event, the cathedral’s facade was illuminated with an image of a menorah and the message “May their memory be a blessing” – a poignant symbol of solidarity with Sydney’s Jewish community, still reeling from the terror attack that claimed 15 lives, and injured 45 people.
Speakers: NSW Premier Chris Minns, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Governor Margaret Beazley, federal Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek, NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Stephen Kamper, and religious leaders including host Archbishop Anthony Fisher, and The Great Synagogue’s Rabbi Dr Benjamin Elton, all spoke at the event.
Menorah image beamed onto cathedral in solidarity
Saint Mary's Cathedral's opening night of Christmas event pivoted into an interfaith vigil for the terror victims.
 |
| A menorah image projected onto St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney on December 17. |
After the moving event, the cathedral’s facade was illuminated with an image of a menorah and the message “May their memory be a blessing” – a poignant symbol of solidarity with Sydney’s Jewish community, still reeling from the terror attack that claimed 15 lives, and injured 45 people.
Speakers: NSW Premier Chris Minns, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Governor Margaret Beazley, federal Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek, NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Stephen Kamper, and religious leaders including host Archbishop Anthony Fisher, and The Great Synagogue’s Rabbi Dr Benjamin Elton, all spoke at the event.
 |
| NSW Premier Chris Minns hugs an attendee at the ‘Opening Night of Christmas’ event at St Mary’s Cathedral, which drew members of all faiths together. |
Minns said, “In the Catholic tradition, places like this cathedral exist not just for celebrations, but for moments like this – moments when a community gathers for one another.
“We’re here, united in grief but also in love, to stand alongside the Jewish community of NSW, and to say clearly and without hesitation, that you are not alone.”
The Premier recounted the words of Rabbi Eli Feldman, who had spoken the previous day about his dear friend, Rabbi Eli Schlanger – one of those murdered in the terror attack.
“Rabbi Schlanger was one of those optimistic people who would celebrate Chanukah by dancing down the street, because he’d said the best way of fighting antisemitism was to dance.
“On Sunday night, he was murdered, at Bondi Beach, for the simple reason that he was a member of the Jewish community.”
Minns said that Rabbi Feldman could have been forgiven if he had responded with spite, but instead,"On television, in front of everybody, he [Rabbi Feldman] said: Let us love each other. Let us care about each other.'”
The NSW Premier defiantly concluded, “The purpose of this attack was to frighten us and to isolate us – it was designed to divide Australian against Australian. But standing here together, across faiths and backgrounds, it’s clear that it will fail.”
Having attended two funerals earlier that day, Rabbi Elton reflected on the “limitless and unbearable grief”, and acknowledged the “overwhelming support” he received in the previous 48 hours from people of all faiths, “from neighbours and leaders at every level”.
He also honoured non-Jewish victims of the attack, and heroes like Ahmed al Ahmed, who’d removed a terrorist’s weapon and remains in hospital.
Equally, Rabbi Elton stressed, “Let us be clear – this was an attack upon Jews – and that must never be forgotten”.
He called for “urgent action” against rising antisemitism, which “over the past two years in Australia, has run riot.
“It has not been checked, it has not been stopped. And whatever has been done, has been insufficient.
“Last Sunday evening, that became an unarguable fact.
“Hateful rhetoric has to stop, demonisation has to stop, and pandering to movements that want to kill every Jew everywhere has to stop.”
“There is a report [prepared by Jillian Segal, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism] on dealing with this problem.
“It has been delivered to the government, and now there must be an explicit, direct response and action.
“And let no-one deny what ‘Globalise the Intifada’ means – it means Jewish blood on the sands of Bondi Beach.
“How has it come to this, in our beautiful country?
“Now is the time for a national soul-searching.
“Let this gathering tonight say that enough is enough, and let each of us take personal responsibility to do whatever we can to root out this cancer in our society—the murderous cancer of antisemitism, and the hateful ideologies that spawn it, once and for all.”
“We’re here, united in grief but also in love, to stand alongside the Jewish community of NSW, and to say clearly and without hesitation, that you are not alone.”
The Premier recounted the words of Rabbi Eli Feldman, who had spoken the previous day about his dear friend, Rabbi Eli Schlanger – one of those murdered in the terror attack.
“Rabbi Schlanger was one of those optimistic people who would celebrate Chanukah by dancing down the street, because he’d said the best way of fighting antisemitism was to dance.
“On Sunday night, he was murdered, at Bondi Beach, for the simple reason that he was a member of the Jewish community.”
Minns said that Rabbi Feldman could have been forgiven if he had responded with spite, but instead,"On television, in front of everybody, he [Rabbi Feldman] said: Let us love each other. Let us care about each other.'”
The NSW Premier defiantly concluded, “The purpose of this attack was to frighten us and to isolate us – it was designed to divide Australian against Australian. But standing here together, across faiths and backgrounds, it’s clear that it will fail.”
Having attended two funerals earlier that day, Rabbi Elton reflected on the “limitless and unbearable grief”, and acknowledged the “overwhelming support” he received in the previous 48 hours from people of all faiths, “from neighbours and leaders at every level”.
He also honoured non-Jewish victims of the attack, and heroes like Ahmed al Ahmed, who’d removed a terrorist’s weapon and remains in hospital.
Equally, Rabbi Elton stressed, “Let us be clear – this was an attack upon Jews – and that must never be forgotten”.
He called for “urgent action” against rising antisemitism, which “over the past two years in Australia, has run riot.
“It has not been checked, it has not been stopped. And whatever has been done, has been insufficient.
“Last Sunday evening, that became an unarguable fact.
“Hateful rhetoric has to stop, demonisation has to stop, and pandering to movements that want to kill every Jew everywhere has to stop.”
“There is a report [prepared by Jillian Segal, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism] on dealing with this problem.
“It has been delivered to the government, and now there must be an explicit, direct response and action.
“And let no-one deny what ‘Globalise the Intifada’ means – it means Jewish blood on the sands of Bondi Beach.
“How has it come to this, in our beautiful country?
“Now is the time for a national soul-searching.
“Let this gathering tonight say that enough is enough, and let each of us take personal responsibility to do whatever we can to root out this cancer in our society—the murderous cancer of antisemitism, and the hateful ideologies that spawn it, once and for all.”
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