For the crime of being Jewish, my people die and fight alone

[question everything]

SYDNEY — Summer is meant to bring long days, sun-drenched afternoons at the beach, melting ice creams and the sound of children laughing. For Jews in the Southern Hemisphere, it is ushered in by the Festival of Light — Hanukkah — a season meant to be marked by joy. That is not the reality we are living in here.

(snip)

For the past two years, our community has lived with a rising torrent of antisemitism. For months, communal leaders warned governments and authorities that the discourse was deteriorating — that words would one day turn into violence, and violence into bloodshed.

(snip)

We need a moral reckoning. In August, an estimated 100,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbor Bridge to protest a conflict thousands of miles away. Many marched out of genuine concern for human suffering. Others marched because of their hatred toward Jews and Israel — a hatred they made explicit on placards and banners celebrating those who preach violence.

(snip)

If 100,000 people can mobilize for a distant war, surely a million could rise up today and say: enough. Not with flowers alone. Not with thoughts and prayers. But with action. With a collective demand that antisemitism — in all its forms — is wrong and must stop now. This needs to occur in every country claiming to live by Western democratic values. We need to hear your voice! I fear that such a vision exists only in my imagination.

(snip)

We will gather. We will rally. We will continue our quiet, stubborn protest — bringing light into the world one candle, one good deed at a time. We will embody the values of those who were killed. We will move forward. But we will probably do so alone.


https://wapo.st/3L08uHR

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[Easterncedar]

1. Not alone

The heartbreak of Bondi beach is shared here.

[hlthe2b]

2. Ahmed al-Ahmed, the Bondi Beach Syrian Muslim who disarmed gunman to save others, while being shot himself...

What we know about Ahmed al-Ahmed, the Bondi Beach bystander who disarmed gunman
Syrian Muslim father of 2 who came to Australia in 2006 has 'passion to defend people,' parents tell media
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/bondi-mass-shooting-hannukah-gunmen-hero-9.7015882

The family of Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian Muslim father of two who tackled one of the alleged attackers during the mass shooting on Sunday at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, has spoken out, hailing their son as a "hero."

Donations are also pouring in for the 43-year-old fruit shop owner a day after the deadly shooting at a Jewish holiday event, which killed at least 15 people and left 38 people in hospital.

Here is what we know about al-Ahmed and how people have reacted to his brave actions following the country's worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.

'We're not going to stand down': Canada's Jewish communities respond to attack in Australia

No. Not always alone.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Some things really never change.

While there are certainly some who always stand with and by us, most of the time, the others, claiming to be allies, that "support" is conditional. From "'splaining" how we should react, feel, and understand a situation, down to how bigotry against should or shouldn't be defined; to tsk-tsking us (examples are never in short supply) when we get angry, express frustration, or sorrow, this is not a new reality for the Jewish people.

As things continue to get worse, we should remember there are real allies out there and not let the fake ones, the glomers-on, get any of the credit or our time and energy when they play the part of friend.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. Couple, man who died trying to stop Bondi Beach attackers praised for heroic efforts

While a Sydney shopowner is being hailed as a hero after disarming one of the gunmen shooting at a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, a couple and another man who died after physically confronting the attackers are also being remembered for their heroic efforts to save those around them.
The couple in their 60s, identified by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as Boris and Sofia Gurman, were filmed tackling one of the two gunmen as he exited his car, before being shot dead.

---snip---

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the couple were Russian-Jewish. Boris was a retired mechanic and Sofia worked for Australia Post.

--snip---

Another man, Reuven Morrison, 62, was also shot dead after trying to halt the bloodshed, his daughter Sheina Gutnick told American broadcaster CBS News in a report published on Monday.

more...