The tragic massacre at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi was followed by a rush to assign blame, inflame fear and curtail dissent.

My wife and I were at home preparing dinner in Bondi when we heard explosions that we assumed were fireworks followed by the sounds of sirens and helicopters.

Then came text messages telling us to turn on the TV, there’s a shooting incident on Bondi Beach. Reporters were now on the scene in the midst of mass confusion and panic as hundreds of people ran along the sand to flee from the barrage of gunshots.

News updates trickled in. The shooters were targeting a Hanukkah festival on the lawn at the northern end of the beach. At least ten people were reported dead and many more rushed to hospitals around the eastern suburbs of Sydney. We were told that one of the gunmen had been killed, another was in police custody. On X we saw videos of blood-soaked bodies strewn across the lawn in north Bondi as medics and lifesavers frantically administered CPR to others on the ground.

Then across the TV screen came remarkable footage of a man jumping from behind a car to tackle and disarm one of the shooters. The hero turned out to be a 43-year-old Syrian Muslim shop owner named Ahmed al Ahmed who risked his life to save the lives of those attending the Hanukkah festival. He was taken to hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

We woke up the next morning to find out that at least 15 people were now dead including a 10-year-old child and a Hasidic rabbi. More than 40 people were being treated in hospital. We also learned that the sister-in-law of a friend had been killed and his brother was in hospital with serious gunshot wounds.

Like the rest of our community, we were in shock........

© Pearls and Irritations