Dear Community,

As I woke up this morning preparing for the start of Chanukah, I was instead greeted with headlines of a mass shooting at a Chanukah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and Jewish Federations across the country, are horrified by this antisemitic terrorist attack. You can read a thoughtful letter from the leadership of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) here.

This is a story we are all too familiar with, as once again, there is another Jewish holiday and another attack on Jews. Just this year: in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur; in the hours before Shavuot in Boulder, Colorado; and now, in Sydney, Australia, on Chanukah. This attack deliberately targeted Jews  for being Jewish and must be called out by elected and civic leaders as blatant antisemitism.

The security of the Jewish community is the top priority of the Federation. Our community security program, SAFE Washington, and our security team are on full alert and working with all our law enforcement partners to protect our community during Chanukah. We urge all Jewish organizations to take the necessary steps for security at events, and at the same time, not allow attacks like this to intimidate us from celebrating who we are.

Our hearts are broken for those killed and injured, and we pray for a refuah shleimah – a full healing for those injured.

As we light our Chanukah menorahs this evening, we are thinking about their families, friends, and all of the Australian Jewish community.

Chanukah is our season of light and it is more important than ever that we bring light into the world around us.

Chag urim sameach,