ICGM CONDEMNS ANTISEMITIC ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH (12/15/2025)

INTERFAITH CONFERENCE OF GREATER MILWAUKEE

CONDEMNS ANTISEMITIC ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH (12/15/2025)

The Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee unequivocally condemns the deadly attack against Jewish worshippers celebrating Chanukah that occurred yesterday on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. This horrendous antisemitic attack by two men, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 15 persons, including a Holocaust survivor, and wounded at least 27 others, is unacceptable: an event meant to celebrate faith should never be a target for terror or murder.

We are grateful to the first responders and in particular to the heroic bystander, who bravely wrestled a rifle from one of the attackers and was wounded in the process of saving countless lives. The Interfaith Conference prays for the victims, the injured, and for their families.

This tragic incident follows three other recent widely known acts of violent antisemitism in this country, two of which also occurred on or near Jewish holidays. On April 13, 2025, an assailant attempted to set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence while he and his family were observing Passover. On May 21, 2025, two Israeli embassy staff members were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. On June 1, 2025, on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, a man threw incendiary devices at a group of peaceful Jewish marchers in Boulder, Colorado, injuring many and murdering a Holocaust survivor.

Although yesterday’s attack did not take place in our country, nor did the other atrocities take place in our geographic area, we are aware of the effect such acts of terror, including those that appear to be tied to a Jewish holiday, can have on our local community. Our prayers, our support, and our commitment to continue to act in solidarity are with those in our local Jewish community as they continue to struggle with the immoral scourge of antisemitism.

The Interfaith Conference reaffirms our determination to speak out together against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate-fueled violence. Hate has no place in our communities. Let us recommit ourselves to building a society rooted in justice, compassion, and the shared human dignity that binds us all.

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Founded in 1970, the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization of 22 member faiths and denominations, whose mission is to build relationships among people of faith to promote greater understanding, dignity, and respect, and to advocate for the inclusion and acceptance of all.

Its programs include:

• Dialoguing to build personal relationships
• Conducting public programming to counter hate and fear while fostering interfaith, intercultural, and interracial understanding, tolerance, and friendship
• Working together on hunger, unemployment, environmental challenges, and other social issues to create a better society for everyone

We stand with one another against hate, racism, and discrimination to promote a just community; and we serve together to strengthen our communities and build relationships across diverse faith traditions and racial, cultural, ethnic, and generational divides.