BURST
Jewish community leaders say they plan to go ahead with a public menorah lighting at the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza Sunday afternoon.
The B.C. event comes a day after a deadly attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, that left at least 15 people dead, along with one of two gunmen who opened fire at the first international Hanukkah celebration and menorah lighting of 2025. Australian authorities have called it an antisemitic terrorist attack.
Rabbis Dovid Rosenfeld and Yitzchak Wineberg penned an update on Sunday morning saying security will be boosted and vowing to celebrate the start of the Jewish holiday with the community in Vancouver.
“We heard with shock and profound pain that our colleague, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was killed, along with other members of the Jewish community in Bondi Beach. We could barely sleep, I’m sure, like many of you who saw the news last night,” the rabbis wrote.
“Terror is meant to plant fear. It is meant to make us hide, to prevent us from living proudly as Jews — not only in Australia, but everywhere Jews live. We cannot and we will not give in to fear.”
While police protection was already planned, the leaders from Chabad-Lubavitch of B.C. and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver say they have been in “close contact” with police and will “dramatically increase security at today’s event,” which gets underway at 3:30 p.m.
“Yet there is one thing we need no less than security, and that is unity,” said the rabbis. “We must stand together as a Jewish community, with pride and with faith.”
The leaders urged community members to show up “with more strength than before, and in greater numbers than ever.”
Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison said extra officers have been called in and there will be a significant police presence at the gallery plaza and local synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres.
“Although there is no specific threat in Vancouver, we’re working with law-enforcement partners to conduct ongoing risk assessments and we have increased our visible police presence to provide reassurance and safety for everyone.”
The annual art gallery event has been dubbed Unite For Light and will include speeches from political leaders along with the ceremonial lighting of the first candle on a large menorah.