We awoke Sunday morning to devastating news: Jews gathered to celebrate Chanukah in Sydney, Australia, were murdered in a targeted terrorist attack. They were parents and children, grandparents and friends – families just like ours.
As Jews around the world grieve, expressions of sympathy have rightly poured in. Mourning the dead and comforting the survivors is important. But it will not stop the next atrocity – just as it has not stopped the wave of violent antisemitism we are now witnessing.
We have seen the deadly consequences of unchecked, violent hatred of Jews in the United States, the United Kingdom, and now Australia. In each case, violence was preceded by a familiar pattern: sustained incitement, the normalization of antisemitic hatred, and the tolerance of extremists celebrating terrorism...until words turned into bloodshed.
Here in Canada, we’ve seen that radicalization process in action since October 7. For more than two years, hateful activists have taken over our streets, waved the flags of terror groups, harassed Jewish Canadians, and openly called for violence.
To add fuel to the fire, Canada’s national security agencies have warned of foreign actors, including the Iranian regime, seeking to exploit antisemitism and extremist ideologies to harm Canadians.
As Jews, we have confronted – and outlasted – such hate time and again throughout our history. On Chanukah, we remember that the Maccabees confronted not only physical violence, but a worldview that demanded silence, submission, and moral surrender.
But as Rav Meir Soloveichik reminds us: lighting the Chanukah menorah is not merely an act of remembrance, but an act of public proclamation. The miracle, he explains, lies not only in the oil that burned beyond all expectation, but in a people who refused to hide their truth — who understood that light must be displayed openly, even in hostile surroundings.
That teaching speaks directly to our moment. When hatred is excused, when extremism is justified, and when antisemitism is dismissed, darkness is allowed to spread. And one of the deadly results is the horrific scenes witnessed on a Sydney beach.
Which brings us to a truth that must now be stated plainly and acted upon with courage:
The fight against antisemitism is a fight for Canada itself.
It demands that political leaders look at these problems squarely in the eye, to call it out for what it is, and to take comprehensive, coordinated action to confront this hateful extremism before it turns violent.
This is not about one community alone. It is about defending democratic values, public safety, and the moral foundations of our country which are increasingly under threat.
This year, publicly displaying our menorahs is more than a tradition or mitzvah. It’s a statement to the world: We will never stop being publicly and proudly Jewish.
This Chanukah, we reaffirm that promise. And we demand that officials at all levels in this country—from Parliament Hill to your local city hall—take action to safeguard Canada.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Noah Shack
CEO
