Thousands gather as Bondi Beach reopens, commemorating victims of Hanukkah attack

Thousands of people gathered as Bondi Beach reopened days after a mass shooting targeting Jews at a Hanukkah celebration left 15 dead and dozens injured.

The commemoration began with thousands of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the sand before forming an enormous circle in the ocean, signifying solidarity among Sydney’s residents and support for the Jewish community, The Associated Press reported.

Police reopened parts of Bondi Beach on Thursday, just five days after the attack. Additionally, as questions emerge over the Jewish community’s safety as well as fears of backlash against Muslims, armed police officers were stationed outside of synagogues and mosques in Sydney on Friday, according to the AP.

At Bondi Beach, surfers took to the water for a paddle-out, a ceremony commonly held when a surfer dies that involves participants sitting on boards as tributes are made and some splash and cheer. A large crowd gathered for the paddle-out at Bondi as Jews prayed on the beach and others gathered to watch the scene, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

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The attack has spurred a sense of unity, particularly as stories about heroes of the day come to light, such as that of Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syria-born Australian Muslim store owner, who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen. Al Ahmed was shot and wounded by the other assailant.

In a video posted on social media, al Ahmed said Australia is “the best country in the world” before raising his fist and chanting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,” according to the AP.

Following the tragedy, Australians showed their unity by setting a national record for blood donations, the AP reported. Nearly 35,000 donations were made and more than 100,000 appointments booked since Monday, according to the AP, which cited Lifeblood, a branch of the Australian Red Cross.

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The iconic footbridge at Bondi Beach where the shooters were seen carrying out the attack has become a place for tributes to the victims. Beside a chalk drawing of a menorah and an Australian flag, is a drawing of a bumblebee, a symbol memorializing the youngest victim of the attack, 10-year-old Matilda.

Australian Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the site and walked across the footbridge.

“I wasn’t prepared for the feelings that hit me when I crossed the bridge,” Ley told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I saw that bridge on television the night that it happened, and like all Australians, I was in shock and horror.”

“Then I heard directly from people who sheltered under that bridge and saw the gunmen, and will never be able to walk through this part of Bondi again without all of those feelings coming back,” she added.

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Australian Olympians Jessica Fox, Ian Thorpe and Steve Solomon, along with other athletes, visited the memorial and laid flowers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“Moments like this, coming in together, connecting, vowing for change, vowing for improvements and prosperity as a community and a country, is what gives us hope to put on the uniform as we have today,” Solomon, who is Jewish, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Fox, who is also Jewish, became emotional at the site and said, “It shouldn’t take a tragedy to bring people together.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.