Global leaders condemn antisemitic terror, affirm Israel’s resolve to defend Jewish life everywhere without apology.
France confirmed Sunday evening that Dan Elkayam, a French citizen, was among those murdered in the antisemitic terrorist attack that struck a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot expressed deep sorrow, stating that Elkayam was killed as Jewish families gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Calling the massacre a “vile terrorist attack,” Barrot said France stands with the victims’ families, the Jewish community, and the Australian people.
Describing the shooting as yet another eruption of unchecked antisemitic hatred, Barrot pledged that France would intensify efforts to combat antisemitism and terrorism in all forms, declaring that “the lights of Hanukkah must not go out.”
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed the condemnation, expressing national solidarity with Elkayam’s family and denouncing the attack as antisemitic terrorism.
Australian authorities also cleared for publication the identities of additional victims. Among them was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Chabad emissary in Sydney. Alexander Kleytman was murdered while attempting to shield his wife, according to family members. Other victims named include Rabbi Yaakov Halevi Levitin, Reuven Morrison, Tibor Weitzen, and Matilda, a 10-year-old girl, whose surname was withheld at her family’s request.
The massacre has intensified global alarm over the surge in antisemitic violence targeting Jews worldwide, reinforcing Israel’s long-held warning that Jewish life must be actively defended—everywhere, without hesitation.
