December 15, 2025
Prayers from the Uniting Church Communities for our brothers and sisters in the Jewish communities that have been affected by the tragedy of the Bondi mass shooting.
The National Council of Churches in Australia are shocked and overwhelmed by the murderous events that happened at Bondi Beach last night on the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. A terrible darkness descended on the festival of light and hope.
This act of terror on the Jewish community, on innocent Australians, is an attack on all Australians and on our way of life. We utterly condemn the anti-Semitic hatred that has led to this appalling event.
We express our heartfelt sorrow to the families and friends of those who have been killed or who suffered injuries, whose lives have been shattered. We hold them in our prayers as they deal with the shock and grief that now engulfs them.
“Such appalling violence and terror has no place in Australia and we affirm the freedom of all people to live with peace and safety. We condemn such acts of terror,” said Rev John Gilmore, President.
We stand in solidarity with Jewish communities and value our relationships with them and their Rabbis. We will continue to accompany them with our thoughts and prayers, now and in the weeks ahead.
The courage and bravery of the police, paramedics and ordinary citizens who risked their lives to save others and prevent further loss of life; deserve our sincere gratitude.
This appalling violence seeks to divide us. It will not succeed. This is a moment for national unity, for all of us to come together to work for harmony, peace and respectful relations among all the religions and cultures of this great nation.
Such events can be very upsetting and unsettling, even if you were not directly impacted. We encourage you to look out for and care for each other, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed. Your local Church or faith community can help. Please reach out to them. They stand ready to listen and offer support.
We pray together in the words of our Lord’s prayer: ‘Deliver us from evil’ and grant us peace in our days.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) unreservedly denounces the horrific and appalling terrorist attack that took place in Sydney, Australia, during the ceremony for lighting the first candle of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach – an iconic location for families and community gatherings.
The attack, which targeted innocent people as they participated in a peaceful religious observance and is reported to have resulted in at least 12 deaths, is a profoundly troubling act of violence evidently driven by antisemitic motives, and undermining fundamental principles of human dignity, religious freedom, and social cohesion. It is particularly distressing and unacceptable that this incident occurred at the very beginning of Hanukkah, a festival that symbolizes light, faith, and the resilience of a community in the face of adversity. The fact that the attack took place at a moment when people had gathered to honour a tradition deeply rooted in hope and spiritual endurance renders this act even more egregious.
This attack forms part of a disturbing global rise in antisemitic acts that represent an emboldened violent hatred, and endanger the security of communities that have lived peacefully for decades within multicultural societies. Such violent antisemitism constitutes a gross violation of basic human rights and cannot be tolerated in any democratic society.
The WCC has from its beginnings in 1948 condemned antisemitism as “sin against God and man”, and called on “all the churches we represent to denounce antisemitism, no matter what its origin, as absolutely irreconcilable with the profession and practice of the Christian faith”. Today, we renew that call to the global ecumenical fellowship of churches.
We extend our solidarity to the affected members of the Jewish community in Australia, as well as to all our Jewish sisters and brothers threatened by antisemitic hatred and violence. We pray for healing of the wounded, for the consolation of the bereaved, for accountability for the perpetrators and for all those who promote such violence against people on the basis of their religion or ethnicity, and for all people of good will to work together to confront the normalization of such hatred in politics and society. We call on all people to work together to make the world a safe and secure place for all people filled with love, harmony and peace.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General Secretary
World Council of Churches
Prayers of the People 信众的祷告
On this day, our prayer is one of remembrance:
We remember that those who perished
in the Bondi shooting incident in Sydney.
More than numbers,
More than statistics,
More valuable than sparrows;
Each was a person of sacred worth created in the image of God.
Here, at this place and this time,
we pause to remember the untold stories
who injured physically and spiritually this week.
They were people who belonged to the Jewish communities in Sydney and Australia,
Many people living in the costal area in Bondi, schools and communities.
Lord, have mercy upon this Land and all who mourn on this day.
On this day we lift our prayer for all who survived,
those who lost loved ones and face the terrible responsibility
to keep on living in the midst of death,
to keep on loving in the midst of loss,
to keep on waiting for the news of healing yet may never come.
We pray for children without parents,
parents without children,
spouses missing,
and families torn apart.
Today, we pray for ourselves
and all those with power to help —
those individuals and communities,
synagogues, mosques, churches, and cities
and government agencies entrusted with the resources needed
to relieve suffering, sustain life and rebuild the communities.
We pray for
eyes that are open to see what Jesus sees,
ears that are open to truly hear,
hearts that are open to love as Christ loved,
and lives that respond to our neighbour’s crying.
We pray for loving God, the God of Abraham
We pray for loving our neighbours, as ourselves.
O God the creator of heaven and earth,
We come to you in our prayers
and to seek understanding of this life
in which death is a ghostly shadow.
Enlighten us, O God,
with your light that overcomes darkness.
Amen.
(Rewritten by Rev Dr Ji Zhang 张骥 based on the prayer by the United Church of Christ, America)
Prayer of Lament and Solidarity
we come before you shaken and grieving.
We lament the violence at Bondi Beach,
where people gathered in joy and faith
were met instead with terror and death.
We hold before you those who have been killed.
Have mercy on their souls,
and may their loved ones find solace in faith.
We hold before you those who are wounded
and all who now carry fear and sorrow in their bodies and hearts.
Surround them with your comfort and peace.
We pray especially for the Jewish community,
for whom this season of Hanukkah –
a festival of light and hope –
has been scarred by violence.
May they know that they do not stand alone.
Holy One,
we confess the pain caused by hatred,
by antisemitism,
and by all forms of religious and racial violence.
Give us courage to resist what dehumanises,
and wisdom to build communities of safety and care.
Light of the world,
shine in the darkness of grief and fear.
Strengthen all who work for healing, justice, and peace.
Amen.
Prayer for Australia after the Hanukkah Shooting
on Bondi beach of happy faithful people
celebrating Hanukkah,
its story of freedom,
its story of hope and victory.
We pray for those wounded,
for those who are grieving dear ones,
for those becoming more fearful
of antisemitism every day,
for those who have celebrated
Australia as most welcoming country
for holocaust survivors,
and now face terrible fears.
We pray that the oil of peace,
the oil of compassion and justice,
the oil of welcome and kindness
will last long beyond
the hatred that hopes to put it out.