on the topic of the bondi terrorist attack

i woke up super late today due to pulling multiple all nighters and the first thing i saw was the news. i am absolutely horrified and deeply upset at the lives lost and people maimed. i thought australia was better than this. i thought things like this possibly couldn't happen here. i am in shock. sending my condolences only does so much. i don't live in sydney but i am going to go donate blood anyway since i've got O-. jewish people deserve to feel safe to express their faith without fear. i am also incredibly proud of ahmed al ahmed and his bravery. i'll look into donating some money to him and other victims. i sincerely hope something like this never happens again.

ETA: what's also been on my mind is how the motivation behind this attack has barely made the rounds in mainstream discourse. while i appreciate the platform that was given to the heroes and the brave bystanders during the shooting, i am also disappointed that the elephant in the room seems to be conveniently ignored. this shooting was not done at random. it targeted jews and the jewish community for being unapologetic in their faith. the shooters targeted a group of innocent jewish civilians who got together to celebrate one of the most important holidays in their religion. as diluted as the meaning of the world "antisemitism" has become since the start of the genocide in gaza, there is simply no other label which could be used in this situation. we cannot keep giving people the pass to stir up hatred towards the jewish community over the actions of the israeli government and military. no group of people should ever live in fear of such violent persecution for being a part of a certain demographic. for the families of the 15 victims, the holiday of hanukkah will forever be stained with the blood of their passed relatives. please, keep the names of the victims in mind. do not forget who they were, and why they were murdered. don't let things like this be forgotten. and call it what it is: antisemitism. stop letting warmongering maniacs co-opt a word that is ever so relevant.

known victims include:

Rabbi Eli Schlanger - served as a rabbi for over 18 years, leaves behind his wife and his young children, one of whom is only two months old.

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan - he was deeply involved with the jewish community and the chabad operations across sydney.

Matilda Bee Britvan - the youngest fatality of the shooting, a girl who turned ten years old only a month ago and will never get to grow old.

Marika Pogany - a selfless volunteer who spent her free time serving kosher meals to seniors.

Peter Meagher - served 34 years as a detective in the NSW police force. on the day of the shooting, he was working as a photographer for the event.

Dan Elkayam - only a year ago, he moved to sydney from france in search of a better life.  he worked as an IT analyst.

Tibor Weitzen - described as a man "full of life", he died at 78 years old, shielding his loved ones from gunfire.

Alexander Kleytman - a holocaust survivor who died shielding his wife from the bullets.

Reuven Morrison - a businessman who emigrated from the soviet union all the way back in the 70s, and since then called bondi his home.