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The Bondi Beach attack is inspiring Jewish pride. For our children’s sake, we need to allow our fear, too.
(JTA) — Just last Monday night, I experienced one of the pinnacles of my professional life: interviewing Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin. That evening, Rachel, who herself has endured unimaginable suffering, reminded us that hope is a commandment. Not a passive wish, but an active pursuit. The conversation took place at the Jewish Futures Conference, dedicated to what I called the pedagogy of hope: the idea that hope can be taught, modeled and lived.
One week later, our world was shattered.
On the first night of Hanukkah, an unthinkable tragedy unfolded at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Fifteen people were murdered. Scores more were wounded. And what will forever mark this event is not only its brutality, but the fact that it was an antisemitic attack—an attempt to murder Jews in public Jewish spaces.
I am Australian. I was born in Melbourne and lived and worked in Sydney for two years. Like so many people I love, I know Bondi Beach intimately: the fish and chips, the place you take friends and tourists, the breathtaking walk from Bondi to Coogee — one of my favorite walks in the world. Bondi is joy, openness, life. And now, it is also a site of terror. That can never be erased.
Today, we are mourning and burying our dead. And still — we are commanded to hope. To be proud.
But sometimes, hope cannot be rushed.
As educators, teachers, and especially as parents, our first obligation is to listen to our children. To all of their emotions: fear, anger, confusion, sadness. Sometimes telling children to “be proud,” to “go outside and shine your menorah brightly,” is not the right response in the immediate aftermath of violence. Sometimes the most Jewish thing we can do is to sit quietly with them in their fear. To be scared together for a moment. Emotions are real, and they cannot always be controlled or overridden by ideology or slogans.
Adults can be adults. But we must also let kids be kids.
Inevitably, adults will begin the blame game. Politics will follow. There will be time to dissect the Australian government’s response — or lack thereof — to the pleas of Australian Jewry over the past two years. There will be time to ask hard questions about whether Australia remains a safe haven for Jews. I have always known Australia as one of the luckiest places in the world, and I hope — with everything in me — that it emerges from this tragedy stronger and more resilient.
But not yet.
For educators especially, it is essential to remember that our primary role is not to make young people think what we think or believe what we believe. Our first task is to nurture them — to care for their emotional well-being. Good education does not create replicas of adults. It creates critical thinkers who can reach their own enduring understandings of the world and form their own systems of values.
Yesterday, I spent my day waiting for names to appear on lists of the wounded and the dead. I have done this before — most recently on Oct. 7. I reached out to friends in Sydney, waiting anxiously for replies. When one didn’t respond for 24 hours, my heart sank. The full list has not even been released yet. This is the reality of the world we live in.
Friends in Israel sent me a photo of a sign on the Tel Aviv boardwalk: “From Tel Aviv Beach to Bondi Beach.” A painful reminder of how small the world is — and how close the Jewish people are.
So, what is the message of Hanukkah this year?
Among the heroes of Bondi is Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two and fruit shop owner, who was shot multiple times while disarming one of the attackers. His courage echoes a story Rachel Goldberg-Polin tells of a Bedouin man who pleaded to save Jews sheltering from Hamas terrorists, only to be murdered himself. Even in the deepest darkness, there is good in the world.
None of this means we should stop striving to raise proud, thriving Jews. We should light our menorahs. Place them in our windows. Gather publicly. Be visible and unafraid.
And we must also listen to our children.
They are not only our future. They are our present.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
The post The Bondi Beach attack is inspiring Jewish pride. For our children’s sake, we need to allow our fear, too. appeared first on The Forward.
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US Strikes More Than 90 Iranian Military Targets on Kharg Island, CENTCOM Says
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. Photo: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
United States forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island in Iran on Friday night, the US Central Command said on Saturday.
“US forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure,” CENTCOM said.
The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, the US military said in a post on X.
President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island hub, unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
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North Korea Fires Ten Ballistic Missiles Toward the Sea of Japan
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and wife Ri Sol Ju inspect an honour guard before leaving Pyongyang for a visit to China, this January 7, 2019 photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang January 8, 2019. Photo: KCNA via REUTERS.
i24 News – North Korea fired roughly ten ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, the South Korean military reported, marking a new act of defiance amid Seoul and Washington’s annual joint military exercises.
The launches, originating from the Sunan area near Pyongyang, were detected around 1:20 p.m. local time, according to a statement from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The missiles were directed toward the East Sea—the Korean name for the Sea of Japan—though details on their range or trajectory were not immediately available. Earlier, the South Korean Ministry of Defense had already confirmed the launch of at least one unidentified projectile in the same area.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense also verified the incident, noting that a suspected ballistic missile had been launched from North Korea.
The launches come amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Since Monday, the United States and South Korea have been conducting their annual joint exercises, which will continue through March 19 and involve approximately 18,000 South Korean troops alongside an unspecified number of U.S. forces.
Pyongyang has sharply criticized the drills, calling them a rehearsal for invasion. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned this week that the exercises could trigger “terrible and unimaginable consequences.”
The missile tests also coincide with fading prospects for inter-Korean dialogue. Kim Jong-un recently dismissed outreach efforts from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, labeling Seoul “the most hostile enemy.”
The show of force occurred just hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, during a visit to the United States, mentioned a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un—a meeting Washington still considers possible.
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Dutch Authorities Investigate Explosion at Jewish School Claimed by Extremist Group
Police outside a Jewish school following an explosion that caused minor damages, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 14, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
i24 News – An explosion struck a Jewish school on Zeelandstraat in Amsterdam-Buitenveldert during the night between Friday and Saturday, Dutch authorities confirmed. Emergency responders, including police and firefighters, acted swiftly, and officials reported that the building suffered only limited damage. No injuries have been reported.
Mayor Femke Halsema described the incident as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community in the city, emphasizing that the authorities are treating the case “very seriously.” Security camera footage showing the individual who detonated the device is under investigation.
In an unverified online video, previously little-known group identifying itself as Ashab Al Yamim later claimed responsibility for the blast. The group released online footage appearing to show the small explosion followed by a fire outside the school. Its logo was also seen in videos related to an attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam earlier this week.
Dutch investigators are coordinating with the judiciary to determine the full circumstances of the attack and whether additional suspects were involved. Authorities noted that the organization had not been previously known to security services.
The explosion comes amid rising security concerns for Jewish institutions across Europe, following heightened tensions in the Middle East. The group behind the claim has also alleged responsibility for previous incidents targeting Jewish sites in Europe, including attacks in Liège, Belgium, and Rotterdam, though these claims remain unverified.
Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centers across the continent have stepped up security measures in recent weeks amid fears of potential threats to Jewish communities.