{"id":95,"date":"2025-12-18T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/lynn-schulman\/?p=95"},"modified":"2026-01-27T17:50:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:50:49","slug":"queens-chronicle-in-mourning-after-australia-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/lynn-schulman\/2025\/12\/18\/queens-chronicle-in-mourning-after-australia-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens Chronicle – In mourning after Australia shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jewish people must be vigilant but proud, area and faith leaders say<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Stephanie G. Meditz<\/mark><\/p>\n

Jewish people in Queens and beyond are grieving during the Festival of Lights, after Australia\u2019s deadliest mass shooting in decades, which was named a terrorist act, killed 15 people and injured dozens more.<\/p>\n

The Dec. 14 massacre took place on Bondi Beach in Sydney, as families celebrated the first night of Hanukkah. The victims\u2019 ages ranged from just 10 to 87.<\/p>\n

The news hit especially close to home for Rabbi Mendy Hecht, director of the Chabad of Forest Hills North. He hails from Australia, and his cousin was among those killed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hurtful,\u201d Hecht told the Chronicle via phone Tuesday. \u201cAt moments like this, we just mourn, but at the same time, we also are not deterred.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Avrohom Richter of the Chabad of Howard Beach also had a personal connection to the tragedy, as he was in a Zoom study group with a rabbi who was slain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was difficult coming into the holiday with such terrible news, waking up to that in the morning,\u201d Richter said.<\/p>\n

City Councilmember Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills), a member of the Jewish Caucus, said it is \u201creally awful\u201d that people celebrating the first night of Hanukkah were indiscriminately shot at in a clear act of antisemitic terrorism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just heartbreaking that it had to come to this and more people had to give up their lives,\u201d said Rivka Weinberg, the wife of Rabbi Zev Weinberg, of the Jewish Community Center-Chabad of Long Island City\/Astoria.<\/p>\n

Asked if he is concerned about similar incidents happening here, Richter said he \u201cabsolutely\u201d is, and they have occurred already. While Hecht acknowledged it is scary to live in \u201ca society of evil and hate,\u201d he said he will not fear, as that is exactly what terrorists want.<\/p>\n

Weinberg said she is not worried, as she believes God is always keeping watch, and Schulman said that while she is concerned about terror attacks across the globe, she takes comfort in knowing the NYPD is \u201csecond to none.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it is as important as ever to remain vigilant and prioritize safety.<\/p>\n

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a security briefing last Sunday that the NYPD has been in constant contact with its partners in Australia since the attack occurred. While police have not tracked any specific credible threats to Hanukkah events in the city, Tisch said, the NYPD has significantly increased security around them and Jewish houses of worship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be blunt. This is not an isolated incident,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is part of a wider assault on Jewish life, an environment in which hatred far exceeds rhetoric and erupts into horrifying acts of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just last weekend, the menorah in Jackson Heights\u2019 Travers Park was vandalized \u2014 according to a Facebook post by Rabbi Meir Pape of the Chabad of Jackson Heights, the menorah was found covered in foam spray last Saturday night. Pape told the Chronicle it was \u201cobvious\u201d someone targeted it and that it is permanently stained, although the visible mess was cleaned up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not allow this to dampen our spirits for a second,\u201d he said, describing the neighborhood\u2019s joyful, well-attended menorah lighting the next day. He even said he would like to challenge the vandal to have a conversation with him over coffee.<\/p>\n

The consensus among the interviewed area and faith leaders is that Jewish people must remain proud and visible. Hecht said there was some pressure to cancel the Chabad of Forest Hills North\u2019s annual Hanukkah event in Yellowstone Municipal Park, but he refused to cave in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to falter, we\u2019re not going to deter, we\u2019re not going to become depressed. We\u2019re going to spread more light,\u201d Hecht said. Organizers made sure to boost security at the event, he continued, both because of the shooting in Australia and another at Brown University.<\/p>\n

Schulman said she made a point to attend that celebration to show solidarity, and she also went to the City Council\u2019s Hanukkah event Monday.<\/p>\n

Richter said Howard Beach\u2019s menorah lighting that had been planned for last Sunday was canceled, but only for inclement weather. It is scheduled to take place today, Dec. 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will never cower,\u201d Richter said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to do what we need to do, openly and proudly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t do less than what we\u2019re doing, because that means we\u2019re giving in,\u201d Weinberg said. \u201cAnd if we give in, then they won.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said also that education and awareness are key to preventing future tragedies.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need to realize that all human beings are brothers and sisters, and one brother and sister cannot hate on another, regardless of who they are and what their background is,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

And in the spirit of Hanukkah, Queens\u2019 faith leaders have promised to continue spreading light in times of darkness. Every candle lit on the menorah brings light into the world, Weinberg said, as does every act of kindness that people perform.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe dream the world can come to a place of true peace, so that there\u2019s only positive light in the world and no hatred amongst people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have to stand strong, and we should not fear, and we will prevail,\u201d Hecht said. \u201cAnd hopefully that one light and so much more light will really banish this darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Link to story: https:\/\/www.qchron.com\/editions\/queenswide\/in-mourning-after-australia-shooting\/article_58c2c3be-0a1f-58bf-8a34-99d40147fc7b.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jewish people must be vigilant but proud, area and faith leaders say<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Stephanie G. Meditz<\/p>\n

Jewish people in Queens and beyond are grieving during the Festival of Lights, after Australia\u2019s deadliest mass shooting in decades, which was named a terrorist act, killed 15 people and injured dozens more.<\/p>\n

The Dec.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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