Bondi Chabad rabbi: Antisemitism must not become what defines us
An unabashedly strong and robust Judaism that is intrinsically connected to the heritage of the nation is the answer to the antisemitism around the globe, the director of Chabad of Bondi in Sydney, Australia, said on Tuesday at an event in Israel.
Alex Ryvchin consoles Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, father-in-law of Bondi victim Rabbi Eli Schlanger Photo: Bianca De Marchi/AAP
“For us, antisemitism is not a theory. It is not a policy debate. It is not a headline,” Rabbi Yoram Ulman said in an address to the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem. “It is an empty seat at the Shabbat table. It is a voice that will never be heard again.”
Ulman’s son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was among the 15 people killed in the Chanukah Bondi Beach attack, the most lethal assault on Jews since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre.
“When we speak of antisemitism, it is not academic; it is painfully and unavoidably real,” he added.
The Leningrad-born Chabad Rabbi said that “more Judaism, not less” was the answer to terrorism and hatred, despite the tendency, when hunted, is to “hide, blend in and become less visible” out of fear.
At the same time, he said, Jewish identity must focus on the positive, noting that antisemitism cannot be defeated with diplomacy alone.
“If Jewish identity is built only on shared trauma, then we hand our children a burden, not a gift,” he said. “Antisemitism must never be what defines us, [but rather] a positive Jewish identity.”
Steering clear of politics in his address, he added: “Dignity attracts respect; fear attracts disdain.”
“I carry a grief that does not fade. But grief must not become our identity,” he said. “When we live our truth without apology, darkness retreats and light wins.”
