PODCAST:
Dec. 16, 2025 ~ David Kurzmann, senior director of community affairs at the Jewish Federation of Detroit, joins Chris Renwick, Lloyd Jackson, and Jamie Edmonds to discuss the Bondi Beach attack over the weekend, and Jewish leaders encourage this not to deter Hanukkah celebrations.
SYDNEY ~ Islamic State (ISIS) flags were found in the car that the Bondi Beach shooting suspects drove to the scene of a Hanukkah celebration, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the media.
The mass shooting unfolded Sunday, leaving 16 people dead, including one of the gunmen, and about 27 injured, officials confirmed. The shooting suspects are a father and son duo, with the father fatally shot by police at the scene, and the son remaining in custody and hospitalized for critical injuries.
Another individual being treated for injuries is Ahmed al Ahmed, a son of Syrian refugees who was filmed tackling one of the armed suspects, seizing his weapon in a scene being hailed as “heroic.” He was shot multiple times while wresting away the gun from one of the shooters.
The incident was declared a terrorist act aimed at the city’s Jewish community during “Chanukah by the Sea,” a public holiday event drawing hundreds of families and observers. Authorities discovered explosive devices in a vehicle linked to the deceased shooter.
