2 Tevet 5786 - 8th Day Chanuka

Monday 22 December 2025

Dear Members of our Community,

As Chanukah draws to a close, many of us found ourselves lighting the final candles last night with hearts that felt heavier than usual.

Over the past week, our community has been shaken by events that are painful, confronting, and deeply unsettling. We know that many have been searching not only for words of comfort, but for guidance and reassurance at a time of heightened vulnerability.

This has been a time of profound loss and heartbreak. We mourn the kedoshim who were murdered, including a precious child, devoted rabbis, and members of our wider Jewish family. We pray for the injured and for all those who have been traumatised by what has occurred. Our thoughts remain with the families whose lives have been irrevocably changed.

Many in our community are not only grieving, but also feeling unsettled, exposed, and anxious about what lies ahead. We recognise that in moments such as this, our community looks to its leaders not only for chizuk, but for reassurance that their safety, dignity, and right to live openly as Jews are being actively protected and defended.

Chanukah reminds us that Jewish strength has never been about denying darkness. It has always been about refusing to be defined by it. The candles we light do not erase pain, but they affirm that even in moments of vulnerability, we choose faith, continuity, and connection.

We want our community to know this clearly:

You are not alone.

The Rabbinical Council of Victoria is here to support individuals, families, and communities in the days and weeks ahead. Our rabbis and rebbetzins remain available for guidance, pastoral care, and support. If you are struggling, unsettled, or fearful, please reach out. Strength does not mean coping in isolation.

At the same time, chizuk does not mean complacency.

We say this with care and responsibility: when repeated concerns are raised and are not met with sufficient urgency or protection, trust is eroded. Jewish families now feel vulnerable in places where they should feel safe. That reality demands not explanations, but accountability and tangible change.

That is why we have been, and remain, in active and ongoing communication with government and law enforcement at the highest levels. Our advocacy is focused on concrete outcomes, sustained protection, and meaningful accountability. Our expectations are clear and non-negotiable:

• Jewish people must be safe and must feel safe, to practice and express their faith and culture in public spaces.

• Public safety must override the right to protest where demonstrations incite hatred or pose a clear and direct threat to the Jewish community.

• The safety of Jewish communities must be treated with urgency and seriousness.

• Incitement, intimidation, and threats must be addressed early and decisively.

• Public condemnations must be matched by visible action, effective protection, and accountability.

This is not about politics. It is about the basic right of Jews to gather, pray, educate our children, and live openly and safely in this country.

On this final day of Chanukah, we pray for healing, comfort, and renewed strength. We also do so with resolve. Resolve to stand together. Resolve to support one another. Resolve to ensure that Jewish life in Australia remains proud, visible, and secure.

We encourage each member of our community to take on a simple, ongoing mitzvah to add light to the world. Choose one act of Jewish life that you will do consistently, whether it is lighting Shabbat candles, giving regular tzedakah, checking in on someone who may feel alone, learning a little Torah each week, or performing an act of kindness without recognition.

May our commitment to daily goodness, together with the blessings of Hashem, bring comfort to the mourners, healing to the injured, protection to our children and peace to all of Am Yisrael.

With blessings and solidarity,

The Committee of the Rabbinical Council Victoria