As this year comes to a close, the violence that struck a Jewish community in Sydney during a Chanukah celebration forces a clarity many have resisted. Chanukah is not just a holiday of light. It is the most Zionist holiday on the calendar, rooted in a moment when Jews refused erasure, refused forced assimilation, and insisted on living openly as who they are. That context matters, because what happened was not random. It was an attack on people gathered to celebrate identity, continuity, and belonging.

What should have been joy and togetherness became fear and loss simply because the people present were Jewish. This is not symbolic. It is lived reality.

We have seen this before. October 7 was not an attack on borders or policy. It was an attack on people because they were Jewish, carried out on a sacred holiday, in their homes and communities, at a moment meant for family and rest. What happened in Sydney is different in geography but not in nature. When Jews are attacked while celebrating who they are, the setting changes, but the intent does not.

Yet the reactions to these events reveal an uncomfortable truth. The attack in Sydney is broadly........

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