The Bondi Beach Massacre and the Meaning of Peoplehood

Unpacking Israeli History

Unpacked

Judaism, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Complete our 2025 survey: ⁠⁠https://unpacked.bio/uihsurvey⁠⁠ Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: ⁠⁠https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre, Noam tells three Hanukkah stories about Jews choosing light anyway, a menorah in Bergen-Belsen, hostages lighting candles in captivity, and a defiant window in Nazi Germany. Then an epilogue from Billings, Montana, when a community answered antisemitism with thousands of menorahs in their windows. Noam’s request is simple: light a candle, take a picture, send it in, and help push back the dark. To sponsor an episode or to be in touch, please email noam@unpacked.media. Check us out on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewish History Nerds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, I'm Noam Weissman and this is Unpacking Israeli History, the podcast that takes a deep dive into some of the most intense, historically fascinating and often misunderstood events and stories linked to Israeli history.
0:12.3	Be in touch at Noam at unpacked.med.
0:16.1	Before we start, as always, check us out on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, everywhere. Just search
0:21.4	unpacking his early history and hit the follow or subscribe button. Okay, Yala. Let's do this.
0:31.5	We, the people of God, Allah, we, the people of Israel, we the people of Israel, are prepared and anxious to meet the representatives of our neighbors without any preconditions.
0:49.4	There are people in Israel and elsewhere say it's impossible to make peace between the Arabs and Israel or the Jewish people.
0:58.5	I think they're home.
1:01.7	This isn't going to be your average unpacking Israeli history episode.
1:06.7	About 24 hours ago, at a quarter to 7 p.m. Australian time, two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of some 2,000 Jewish people, and non-Jewish people, including many young children, as they celebrated the first night of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach. As of now, 15 people have been killed, and many are wounded.
1:25.3	60 people on Australia's iconic Bondi Beach were left dead and injured.
1:31.3	Here's what we know about how the attack unfolded.
1:35.3	The attack begins here on the footbridge overlooking Archer Park.
1:41.3	A mostly Jewish crowd was celebrating the first night of Hanukkah, just 70 yards away.
1:47.9	On the nearby beach, gunshots and police sirens begin sounding.
1:52.7	At first glance, an anti-Semitic terror attack in Australia might not seem directly connected
1:58.7	to Israeli history. In fact, our team discussed this at length.
2:03.6	Should I even talk about this here?
2:05.0	How does this episode fit with Israeli history?
2:07.6	What's the connection between two countries,
2:09.8	separated by more than 8,000 miles?
2:12.5	But if I'm being honest, the connection feels kind of obvious to me.
2:16.6	There is a principle in Judaism called, and I'll say it in
	...

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