Hundreds of surfers, swimmers, and paddleboarders returned to Bondi Beach on Friday morning in a powerful display of unity, forming massive circles in the water to honour 15 victims killed in a terror attack just five days earlier.
Fox News reported that Australia's most famous beach reopened for the first time since gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration on 14 December, transforming what should have been a joyous festival into one of the nation's deadliest mass shootings in decades.
'Bringing Back the Light'
According to CBS News, swimmers and surfers gathered at dawn to form a circle in the ocean whilst waves gently rocked them, expressing their solidarity through splashing water and emotional cries.
Security consultant Jason Carr, 53, told AFP he felt it was important to be part of the community again. 'They slaughtered innocent victims, and today I'm swimming out there and being part of my community again to bring back the light,' he said. 'We're still burying bodies. But I just felt it was important.'
The paddle out drew an estimated 700 participants who took to the water at North Bondi at 6:30 am, according to City Hub Sydney. As they formed a circle, participants held a minute's silence, remembering the lives lost in the antisemitic attack.
Organiser Trent Knox, a local community member, explained that sharing the morning with others was vital. 'Being a part of the local Bondi community is a huge part of my life,' he told reporters.
Attack That Shocked a Nation
The emotional gathering came as Sydney continues to mourn the victims, who ranged in age from 10-year-old Matilda Bee Britvan to an 87-year-old worshipper. Father and son gunmen Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, opened fire from a pedestrian bridge overlooking the Chanukah by the Sea festival, using legally acquired firearms to target Jewish families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
'It's just beautiful,' Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Alex Ryvchin told the ABC. 'It's a gorgeous day, and you see that scene - I've seen paddle outs before, but never of that size.'
'Heart-Warming' Community Support
Rabbi Yosef Eichenblatt from Sydney's Central Synagogue, who attended the event, told Reuters that the outpouring of support was deeply moving.
'Over the past two years, there's been a lot of people who have been questioning whether we're still welcome here in Australia because we saw people calling for our death on the streets on a weekly basis,' he said. 'So it's been so heart-warming to see the outpouring of love and support.'
Carole Schlessinger, 58, chief executive of a children's charity, described a 'beautiful energy' at the ocean gathering. 'To be together is such an important way of trying to deal with what's going on,' she said, adding that she personally was feeling 'very numb'.
Government Response and Fundraising Efforts
The attack, which authorities have declared a terrorist incident motivated by antisemitism, has prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to announce a sweeping gun buyback scheme.
'There is no reason someone living in the suburbs of Sydney needed this many guns,' Albanese said, referring to the six high-powered rifles legally owned by Sajid Akram.
The community's resilience was also reflected in fundraising efforts. According to GoFundMe, more than £5 million ($6.68 million) has been donated across various fundraisers, with over 70,000 donations from people in more than 60 countries.
This includes £2.5 million ($2.67 million) for Ahmed Al Ahmed, the Muslim fruit seller who wrestled a firearm from one of the gunmen before being shot twice in the arm.
The iconic footbridge at Bondi Beach, where the shooters carried out the attack, has become a place for tributes to the victims. Beside chalk drawings of a menorah and an Australian flag sits a drawing of a bumblebee, symbolising the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
Prime Minister Albanese has confirmed that a national day of mourning for the Bondi attack will be organised next year, and declared Sunday, 21 December, as a day of reflection and mourning in the victims' honour.
As Sydney grapples with the aftermath of its deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, the paddle out at Bondi served as a powerful reminder that terror will not divide a community determined to stand together.
