‘On Chanukah, we publicise not only the Jews’ survival, but also their refusal to be intimidated or erased’, Sir Ephraim Mirvis said
December 15, 2025 12:36
The UK's Chief Rabbi has declared on behalf of Jews around the world in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack: “We are here, we belong, and we will not hide who we are'.
Delivering a powerful message of defiance and Jewish pride, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis highlighted the determination and resolve of a “small band of Jews some 2,150 years ago” as he shared the story of Chanukah on BBC Radio 4 this morning, just 24 hours after two terrorists opened fire on members of Sydney’s Jewish community at a family event intended to celebrate the first night of the holiday.
Delivering the Thought for the Day on the Today programme, Mirvis also called for “moral clarity” and demanded the “right of Jewish communities to gather freely, safely and publicly”.
“This moment demands more than sympathy; it demands moral clarity,” he said of Sunday’s terror attack, which targeted Jews as they gathered at the world-famous Bondi Beach for the “Chanukah by the Sea” event, leaving at least 15 people dead.
"The right of Jewish communities to gather freely, safely and publicly, is not a Jewish issue alone,” he went on. “It is a test of the moral health of any society that claims to value freedom, difference and human dignity.”
Opening his three-minute message Mirvis spoke about “Pirsumei Nisa” – the special obligation Chanukah carries to publicise the “miracle of Jewish survival”.
Later he explained: “Chanukah recalls the defiance of a small band of Jews some 2,150 years ago, who were targeted by Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes ... On Chanukah, we publicise not only their survival, but also their refusal to be intimidated or erased … On Chanukah, Jews around the world declare: We are here, we belong, and we will not hide who we are.”
As was the case for many British Jews, Sunday’s attack was deeply personal for Mirvis: “My cousin and his wife spent 15 terrifying minutes hiding under a doughnut stand as terrorists were shooting at them,” he revealed, later adding: “Jews have lived with security concerns for as long as I can remember, but the fact that today every public Jewish gathering must be weighed for risk is a sign of something deeply wrong.”
Concluding his message, Mirvis called for people to “address not only the symptoms of toxic antisemitism, but its causes”, insisting: “We must stand together against the normalised rhetoric, that demonises Jews and the only Jewish state.”
Mirvis added: “Both the story of Chanukah, and yesterday’s attack are a sober reminder that darkness will advance wherever decent people retreat, and that light can only be preserved when people are prepared to stand up for it.”
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