The world watched in horror as a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney was turned into a slaughter on December 14, leaving more than a dozen dead and dozens wounded in an attack that targeted Jewish families celebrating the festival of lights. This was not a random act of violence — it struck a faith community in a place of worship and celebration — and the numbers we’re seeing are staggering and devastating.
Police say the shooters were a father and son who opened fire on the crowd, one was killed at the scene and the other, identified as 24‑year‑old Naveed Akram, has now been charged with multiple counts including murder and terrorism after waking from critical injuries in hospital. Authorities also found improvised explosive devices and weapons at the scene, and evidence suggests the firearms were legally held by the elder attacker — a bitter reminder that legal hoops don’t stop radical killers.
Australian investigators have described early indications that the attack was inspired by Islamic State, and world leaders have rightly called it an antisemitic terrorist act aimed at a religious minority. Conservatives must call this what it is: political violence driven by an ideology of hate that targets Jews specifically, and pretending otherwise only fences in our ability to respond.
Predictably, the first official reflex has been to demand tougher gun laws — a familiar sermon from politicians who ignore the root problem of radicalization and violent ideologies. No one denies the grief of the victims, but more laws on paper will not stop an enemy bent on mass murder; what we need is ruthless enforcement, better intelligence cooperation, tighter controls on foreign travel to militancy hot spots, and serious focus on identifying homegrown radicalization before it erupts.
Among the horror came acts of bravery that restore faith in ordinary people: a bystander wrestled a rifle away and others rushed the attackers, and police officers put their lives on the line to stop further carnage. We should celebrate those heroes while demanding that our leaders give police the resources, legal tools, and clear mandate to stamp out terror in our streets — not punish law‑abiding citizens for the crimes of extremists.
President Trump and other conservative leaders were quick to condemn the attack, urge solidarity with Jewish communities, and insist Americans not cower in the face of antisemitic terror. That message matters: light pushes back the dark, and patriotic leaders must stand with our allies and with Jewish families abroad and at home, call out Islamist terror plainly, and refuse the hollow gestures that too often follow tragedy.
