A shocking attack on a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach left at least 15 people dead and dozens wounded, a chilling reminder that even peaceful religious celebrations are not safe from hatred. The massacre, which took place on December 14, 2025, was swiftly declared a terrorist incident targeting the Jewish community and has left Australia — and the free world — reeling.
Authorities say the shooters were a father and son who opened fire on a crowd of families and children, and that police recovered improvised explosive devices at the scene while the elder assailant possessed multiple firearms under legal license. One shooter was killed and the other is hospitalized, but the horror of armed violence ripping through a community holiday will not soon be forgotten.
This wasn’t random violence — it was unmasked antisemitism, an attack deliberately aimed at Jews celebrating their faith. For those who swear by the words “Never Again,” these empty promises ring hollow when Jewish citizens can be gunned down in public parks; leaders who claim moral clarity must show it with deeds, not just statements of sorrow.
Predictably, politicians are scrambling to use the massacre as a cudgel to pursue broader gun control measures, despite reporting that the weapons used were legally owned and that explosives were prepared in advance. Conservatives should not reflexively oppose common-sense safety reforms, but neither should we accept the lie that more laws alone stop determined terrorists; practical security, intelligence, and enforcement work together to prevent attacks.
Jewish organizations and community leaders are right to demand heightened protections for public events and to urge resilience in the face of terror, and Americans must stand with them. Our response should be immediate: increased security for houses of worship, better coordination of intelligence, and the hard work of confronting the ideologies that produce this kind of brutality.
Enough with the platitudes from elites who promise solidarity and then gut funding for law enforcement, open borders, and robust counterterror efforts. If Western societies will protect nothing sacred and allow hatred to breed unchallenged, we will have failed the next generation — not because evil is inevitable, but because we chose convenience over courage.
This moment calls for moral clarity and action: defend minorities unapologetically, fund security where it matters, and reject the soft-on-threats policies that invite massacre. To the Jewish community and to all who cherish liberty and faith, our pledge must be real — to protect, to hunt down terror, and to ensure that “Never Again” is more than a slogan.
