Hollywood stars, including Gal Gadot, Ashton Kutcher and Rebel Wilson, reacted to the mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration Sunday in Sydney, Australia.
Two gunmen descended upon the annual “Chanukah by the Sea” event on Bondi Beach Dec. 14, where members of the Jewish community gathered to light the ceremonial first candle on the menorah.
Sixteen people were killed in the shooting, including one of the two suspected gunmen, officials with the New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) said. The second alleged shooter is in critical condition.
“My heart is shattered,” Gadot wrote on Instagram. “Following the anti-Semitic terror attack in Bondi Beach, Australia, the grief is immense. Fifteen innocent souls – including a Holocaust survivor, a rabbi and a child – were senselessly murdered while celebrating the first night of Chanukah, the Festival of Light.”
Gadot continued, “This darkness deliberately struck at a sacred moment of community and hope. It is easy to feel defeated. But let us be clear: our strength is not in despair, but in the light we fiercely choose to create in this terrible void.
“We must honor the victims not with silence, but by demanding a world where every life is safe, and by choosing empathy and unity above all else.”
“Send light into the darkness,” Gadot urged. “Let’s make sure love is the loudest voice. I will light my Chanukah candle tonight in their honor and for a world of light. Only light.”
Ashton Kutcher wrote on X, “Antisemitic rhetoric is not abstract—it carries a cost, and my brothers and sisters continue to pay it. May this devastation somehow spark a hidden miracle, one our eyes do not yet have the merit to see.”
Australian actress Rebel Wilson shared on her Instagram stories, “Just waking up to the news about what’s happened on Bondi Beach. An absolute tragedy that is the most un-Australian thing to have happen. We shouldn’t have gun violence in Australia, we shouldn’t have antisemitism – it’s not us! Thinking of everyone affected by this devastating violence.”
Sara Foster said that prayers weren’t enough for the innocent families in a message shared on X following the mass shooting.
“What did we expect? We have sat back dismissing hate crimes against Jewish people, swastikas on pre schools, college campuses turned into antisemitic indoctrination institutions, the refusal to condemn ‘globalize the intifada’ by American politicians, the acceptance of people who openly chant for the death of Jews(and the west), invited terrorists who have told us they hate us to live amongst us, and shamed the people who have spoken against it,” she wrote.
“Well we have had enough. We have had ENOUGH. Praying for the innocent families in Australia isn’t enough. WAKING up to what is happening is the only option.”
President Donald Trump encouraged Americans to “celebrate proudly” and to not fear for their safety on the first night of the Jewish holiday.
“Celebrate proudly – be proud of who you are,” Trump said to Fox News on Sunday.
King Charles III, Australia’s head of state, shared an emotional statement following the deadly attack.
“My wife and I are appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people attending the Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach,” the royal family said. “Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully, including the police officers who were injured while protecting members of their community. We commend the police, emergency services and members of the public whose heroic actions no doubt prevented even greater horror and tragedy.
“In times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve. I know that the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia – and the light at the heart of the Chanukah Festival – will always triumph over the darkness of such evil.”
Officers responded to reports of shots fired at about 6:45 p.m. Sunday. Police say there were at least two gunmen involved in the attack, and they are investigating the possibility of a third.
Police say the attack “targeted” the Jewish community and is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
At least 29 others were hospitalized after the shooting, including two police officers, the agency confirmed. The shooting is the worst attack against the Jewish community since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog acknowledged the attack while speaking at an event in Jerusalem recognizing immigrants’ extraordinary achievements on Sunday.
“At these very moments, our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Chanukah on Bondi Beach,” Herzog said. “Our hearts go out to them. The heart of the entire nation of Israel misses a beat at this very moment, as we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them and we pray for those who lost their lives.”
