General News
22 December, 2025
Australia lets the light in after Bondi tragedy
Australians came together on the longest day of the year to honour lives lost, reflect in silence and stand in unity following the deadly attack at a Hanukkah festival on Bondi Beach.
Australians paused on Sunday, December 21, to honour the 15 lives lost and the 42 injured in the terrorist attack on a Jewish Hanukkah Festival on Bondi Beach.
The vigil on Sunday, "Let the Light In," was attended by thousands of people who gathered at Bondi for a time of reflection and healing.
Australians were asked to light a candle at 6.47pm, the time of the attack the week before, and also to observe a minute's silence with family and friends.
Flags were flown at half mast around the country as a sign of unity and support for the Australian Jewish Community and all those affected.
Victims of the Bondi shooting included Matilda, the 10-year-old girl named after what her parents thought was the most Australian name they could think of when she was born.
Waltzing Matilda has long been the unofficial national anthem of the country, and now the 10-year-old Matilda has become the face of the tragic event, with her father asking Australia to, please, remember her name.
Also killed were Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Peter Meagher, Tibor Weitzen, Dan Elkayam, Alex Kleytman, Reuvren Morrison, Marilka Pogany, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Sofia Gurman, Boris Gurman, Edith Brutman, Boris Tetleroyd, Adam Smyth, and Tania Tretiak.
Coincidentally, the vigil was held on the longest day on the Southern Hemisphere calendar, the day with the most daylight hours in the year due to the Australian summer solstice.
Sydney was estimated to have 14 hours and 24 minutes of daylight on Sunday.
While acts of bravery have been heralded from those caught on camera to those whose bravery will never be known, there has been an outpouring of grief mixed with pride around the world.
Grief for the lives lost and those whose lives have been altered forever, and pride for the many who went to the aid of fellow Australians in the face of danger.