What Is Hanukkah, Festival People Were Celebrating At Sydney Beach Before Tragedy

At least 15 people were killed, and dozens sustained injuries after gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach Sunday evening. Police identified one of the attackers as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was fatally shot by officers.

His 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, was wounded and is receiving treatment at a hospital, according to Mal Lanyon, New South Wales Police Commissioner, who described the incident as a “terrorist attack.”

The father-son duo shot down the place during “Chanukah by the Sea,” a Hanukkah festival organised by the local Jewish community. They attacked near the beachfront playground and park, where families and visitors gathered to celebrate the holiday. Rabbi Eli Schlanger was identified as the first person killed.

What Is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday that usually falls in late November or December. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century BCE, following the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

The holiday celebrates the miracle of the oil: when the Jews reclaimed the Temple, they found only enough consecrated oil to light the menorah (candelabrum) for one day, yet it miraculously burned for eight days. Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah instead of Christmas.

How Hanukkah Is Celebrated

• A special nine-branched menorah (hanukkiah) is lit each night. One candle is added each night until all eight (plus the helper candle, the shamash) are glowing.
• Families recite blessings, sing traditional songs, and read passages related to the Hanukkah story.
• Children often play with the dreidel, a four-sided spinning top with Hebrew letters, and families exchange small gifts.
• Foods fried in oil, like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly-filled donuts), are popular to honour the oil miracle.

About Bondi Beach's ‘Chanukah By The Sea'

“Chanukah by the Sea” was a public Hanukkah festival organised by Chabad of Bondi to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah. It was scheduled for Sunday from 5-9 pm Australian time at the Bondi Park Playground on Bondi Beach.

As per a digital flyer, the event aimed to “celebrate Jewish life and the Festival of Lights”. It featured giant menorah lighting, free donuts, kosher food, a special video presentation, 9D cinema, a petting farm, face painting, Chanukah crafts, and grab‑and‑go menorah kits.

Designed as a family-friendly community celebration, it offered activities and entertainment for people of “all ages”, with proceeds from ticket booking dedicated entirely to charity.