The Hanukkah Massacre: When Darkness Sought to Extinguish the Light

Greetings to you all from a grief-stricken Australia.  By now, I am sure you are all aware of the terrorist act perpetrated against Sydney’s Jewish community on the first night of Hanukkah in the iconic Sydney suburb of Bondi Beach.  The warnings issued by Australia’s Jewish community since October 7 had largely been ignored by our ruling class.  Now, we see the heartbreaking result of ignoring those warnings.  Jewish men, women and children are dead, Jewish shops intend to close permanently for security reasons, and an entire community is in mourning. 

Though it remains largely unknown to the general population, there exists a body known as “J7 - The Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism”.  It was formed in response to increasing rates of antisemitism around the world and is comprised of organisations representing the largest Jewish communities in the Diaspora, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.  The J7 works to identify and address common challenges and then develop coordinated strategies in order to combat global antisemitism.  Keeping in mind that the terrorist attack occurred on 14 December 2025, the first ever Australian summit of the J7 concluded only six days prior—on 8 December 2025.  Where?  The very same city in which the terrorist attack occurred—Sydney, Australia.  As members of the J7 came from around the world to develop strategies to combat the very hatred which fueled the attack, little did they know that the terrorists were also planning.  But they were not interested in preserving Jewish lives—they were in the final stages of handing themselves over to the demonic hatred which would motivate them to take Jewish lives. 

Part of the J7 closing statement from the summit (which was issued prior to the attack and referred to a recent firebombing) read as follows: “We came from around the world to show our solidarity with the Australian Jewish community and make clear that we are one Jewish family.  The antisemitism that targeted a synagogue in a devastating arson attack in Melbourne and has led to record levels of incidents in Australia, has had a deadly impact in Manchester, Boulder, Washington, and beyond.  We reiterate our call on our governments to take all necessary steps to fight antisemitism and ensure the security of the Jewish community.  We join our Australian partner, the ECAJ [Executive Council of Australian Jewry], in calling on the government of Australia to accept and implement the plan to combat antisemitism formulated by its Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, AO.” 

The final sentence of the J7 statement is a direct reference to the Office of Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism established on 9 July 2024, with Jillian Segal appointed as Special Envoy.  Not everybody was happy with the appointment though.  Some argued that Segal’s previous position as president of the ECAJ along with her unequivocal advocacy for Israel as the Jewish homeland, should have disqualified her for the role.  So, let me get this straight—a Jewish woman who advocated for Jewish Australians and supports a Jewish homeland should be disqualified from the role!?  Unbelievable.  Nevertheless, Jillian Segal’s report and subsequent recommendations were released to the Australian Federal Government in July 2025, where it simply collected dust.  Under pressure to act following the terrorist attack, the Prime Minister’s office has now indicated it plans to work through implementation of the report’s recommendations, with the addition of five further recommendations:-

1. The introduction of aggravated hate speech offences for preachers and leaders who promote violence.

2. Increased penalties for hate speech promoting violence.

3. Making hate an aggravating factor in sentencing crimes for online threats and harassment.

4. Developing a regime for listing organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech promoting violence or racial hatred.

5. Developing a narrow federal offence for serious vilification based on race and/or advocating racial supremacy.

Yet, even in the midst of the worst outbreak of antisemitism witnessed in Australia’s short history, there are some who wish to preserve the pro-Palestinian agenda.  One human rights advocate argued that instead of adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, we should be adopting that known as the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA) because the JDA, amongst other things, permits criticism of Zionism.  In doing so, it implies Palestinian anger towards their “oppressors” should be exempt from being categorised as antisemitic because they are simply displaying “emotion that a Palestinian person feels on account of their experience at the hands of the state.”  So while proponents of the JDA claim that its definition opens up space for Palestinians to speak about their “oppression” and to confront their “oppressors”, the reality is that it is so popular amongst antisemites because it finds a convoluted way to say that it is not, on the face of it, antisemitic to argue for the elimination of Israel, as long as Jews’ “collective rights” are respected in any future arrangement.

You see, pro-Palestinian activists and anti-Israel groups have long complained about the IHRA definition because, in the grip of their fixation on Israel as fundamentally illegitimate and their flat denial of the Jewish right to self-determination, they reject the premise that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.  Former Israeli politician, Natan Sharansky, famously developed the “3D Test” to determine when the line is crossed: If anti-Israel rhetoric demonises Israel, holds Israel to double standards, or delegitimises the existence of the Jewish state, it is not legitimate criticism but, rather, antisemitism.  With very few exceptions, anti-Zionists tick all those boxes.  Anti-Zionism is merely a cleverly disguised political device which seeks to expel the Jewish people from the Middle East and plant the Palestinian flag on the whole of the God-given homeland of the Jewish people. 

Right now, many nations and groups are asking how we can best address the issue of antisemitism.  Although legitimate solutions may be sought politically and culturally, on the whole, these questions evade human reason to comprehend and explain them. Why?  Because the answers lie not in the natural or human realm, but in the spiritual realm.  You see, antisemitism springs from the great spiritual war that has been raging throughout most of time because the key to God’s defeat of Satan would come through the nation of Israel.  As world-renowned theologian Renald Showers once wrote: “Because a remnant of Israel must repent before God crushes His enemy, Satan has concluded that if he can annihilate Israel before it repents, God will never crush him. Thus, he has instigated heinous antisemitic activities through the Roman Empire, various forms of organised Christendom (the Inquisition, etc.), national governments, and numerous terrorist groups.”  Dr Showers went on to clearly state: “Thus, persistent hatred of Jews goes beyond the human realm to the supernatural or spiritual realm. In their war against God, Satan and his fallen angels are behind every expression of antisemitism.”  So, while ever we wholeheartedly support the efforts of clear minded governments and organisations in combatting antisemitism, while they remain blind to the true source of antisemitism (Satan), they also remain blind to the true answer to antisemitism: Jesus Christ.

The cure for antisemitism is to understand God’s plan for Israel and to have a saving faith in and love for the Lord Jesus Christ.  Although it has become popular for some so-called Christians on the left and the right to openly display their disdain for the Jews, let me be clear: no one who truly loves and obeys the Lord Jesus Christ can do, say or write anything that kindles hatred for the Jewish people. We who are of the household of faith should be praying for and showing kindness to the Jewish people, also following the command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).  Israel has survived the mightiest of empires, the ruthlessness of terrorist organisations and the hostility of the international community because God Almighty has willed it.  The people of Israel live and will continue to live because of God’s plan, purpose and power.