From the Liveblog of
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Australian PM praises ‘completely unbreakable’ Jewish community after terror attack
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SYDNEY, Australia — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says on Saturday that the country’s Jewish community was “completely unbreakable” after attending a memorial event at a Sydney synagogue for the victims of a terror attack on a seaside celebration of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.
The mass shooting at Bondi Beach last Sunday was Australia’s worst in nearly 30 years and is being investigated as an act of terrorism targeting Jews. Authorities have ramped up patrols and policing across the country to prevent further antisemitic violence.
Albanese says the event he attended at the Great Synagogue in Sydney last night showed “the spirit of our Jewish Australian community is completely unbreakable.”
“It was a night of unity, resilience, comfort, faith and love,” Albanese says in remarks televised from Canberra, ahead of a national day of reflection on Sunday to honour the 15 people killed and dozens wounded in the terror shooting attack allegedly carried out by a father and son.
Albanese, under pressure from critics who say his center-left government has not done enough to curb a surge in antisemitism since the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, and the Gaza war, has vowed to strengthen hate laws in the wake of the massacre.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.