Closing summary
We’ll draw our blog to a close now as it’s past midnight in Sydney, where a single sail of the city’s iconic Opera House is beaming out a menorah onto the harbour, in a show of solidarity with Jewish Australians.
“Tonight, those candles are a symbol of resilience and a reminder that even in darkness, we choose to stand with one another,” says the state premier.
Australians and people around the world are mourning the 15 victims of Sunday’s terrorist attack on Jewish Australians at the start of Hanakuh.
A 10-year-old girl, a local Rabbi and a Holocaust survivor have been identified among those killed
There are still 27 people injured in hospitals, including the man who tackled a shooter to disarm him
Ahmed al Ahmed has received over A$1m (£500,000) in donations while recovering in hospital from bullet wounds; he’s been labelled a national hero
The alleged perpetrators of the attack have been identified as a father-and-son duo who had extremist links, said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The ABC reported Islamic State flags were found in their car.
Lawmakers have pledged to tighten the country’s already significant gun-ownership laws after the mass shooting was carried out with registered firearms
“People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity,” said Albanese
Amid calls from community leaders to not let the attack on Sunday divide the multicultural country, some Jewish leaders say the attack was foreseen and authorities failed to combat the rise in hate
Australia enacted an anti-Semitism strategy earlier this year, in response to Israel’s war in Gaza, but critics say that has failed, including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu who said he’d warned Albanese that Australia’s support for Palestinian statehood would fuel anti-Semitism
Albanese has denied this, and vowed on Monday to “do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism”
Updated
Jewish and Muslim leaders embrace at Aboriginal-led healing vigil
There were vigils across Sydney today, including one in Hyde Park in the city centre, organised by First Nations people in solidarity with the Jewish community.
The event was arranged by Bundjalung woman Vanessa Turnbull Roberts, together with the Jewish Council, an organisation established in 2023 to create an Australian Jewish voice that supports Palestinian freedom and oppose anti-Semitism.
Speakers included Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins of Emanuel Synagogue and Bilal Rauf from the Australian National Imams Council, who embraced each other after their remarks.
Lizzi Jarrett, a Dunghutti Bundjalung activist, also spoke about the importance that feelings of anger should not be directed at anyone except the two perpetrators. She spoke of the need to “not let fear win, hate and hurt take over.”
