"Their pain is felt" - Irish Jewish community stands in solidarity with Bondi shooting victims

The event heard messages of remembrance and condemnation of antisemitism following the mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, in which 15 people were killed.

The alleged attackers, a father and son, opened fire on crowds gathered to mark the start of Hanukkah.

The father was killed at the scene, bringing the total number of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son remains in critical condition in hospital but is expected to survive, according to police.

Australian media have named the alleged attackers as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram. Police said the 50-year-old father was licensed to hold six firearms, which are believed to have been used in the shooting.

Speaking at the Dublin event which was scheduled prior to the attack, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan said Hanukkah, "an occasion of great celebration for the Jewish community", had been "overshadowed by the horrific events that we saw yesterday in Bondi Beach in Australia.

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan.

"What we saw regrettably was an anti-Semitic murderous attack on people simply because they were Jewish," he added.

 Mr O’Callaghan also recounted a conversation with a 97-year-old woman about the attack, stating: "I told her what was happening in Australia and said that they were shooting people because they were Jewish and her response was, “oh no, don’t tell me they’re doing that again."

He told those gathered that the Jewish community in Ireland is "cherished by the Irish government", adding: "You have played an extraordinarily important role in the history of independent Ireland."

Referring to his own Dublin constituency, which includes Portobello, Rathgar and Terenure, Mr O’Callaghan said he was "very well aware of that Jewish community’, and pledged that the Government wants to ‘protect that community and ensure that you prosper."

Also in attendance was Dr Alexandra Herzog, director of global Jewish communities at the American Jewish Committee and the granddaughter of Chaim Herzog, the sixth president of Israel, who was born in Belfast, grew up in Dublin and for whom Herzog Park is named.

Dr Herzog spoke of her grandfather’s deep connection to Ireland, saying: "Dublin was not just a stop along my grandfather’s journey. It was a place that shaped who he became and one that filled him with pride. Ireland gave him a sense of belonging, responsibility, and purpose. It is where he learned what it means to serve others and to stand with dignity as a Jew in the public square. That legacy feels especially present and especially important right now."

She told the gathering that, as candles were lit to mark Hanukkah, thoughts were also with those mourning in Australia.

"Tonight as we light these candles, our hearts are also with the Jewish community in Australia mourning the horrific murder of innocent Jews in an anti-Semitic terror attack," she said.

"Their pain is felt across the entire Jewish world.

"When one Jewish community is attacked, all of us are. And when anti-Semitism permeates a society, it harms that society as a whole."

She added that the vigil was a reminder "that even in moments of darkness we do not retreat, we stand together, we show up and we bring light into the world", expressing hope that the candles would be "a symbol of solidarity, resilience, and hope for Dublin, for Australia, and for all of our communities."

In Australia, the shooting has prompted renewed political action on gun control.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of state and territory leaders, with agreement reached to strengthen gun laws nationwide. Proposals under consideration include improving background checks for firearm owners, barring non-nationals from obtaining gun licences and further limiting the types of weapons that can be legally owned.

Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which 35 people were killed, leading to sweeping gun reforms including a national firearms register, a gun buyback scheme and strict limits on semi-automatic weapons.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.