About 24 hours after the antisemitic terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi beach left 15 people dead and many injured, a powerful message of unity echoed through the city. Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins spoke at a vigil in Hyde Park on Monday evening. “So many in our Jewish community have received messages of love from leaders in different faith communities, from Palestinian friends and friends around this country, and in so doing, we are now learning we are all just flesh and blood, and we are all also the light,” he said. Bilal Rauf, special adviser at the Australian National Imams Council, expressed “deep heartbreak and condolences,” recalling the pain his community felt after the 2019 Christchurch massacre. The two embraced as the crowd applauded. Rabbi Kamins said the core of the vigil was recognizing “we are all human beings first.” Since the attack, he described an outpouring of kindness—flowers outside the synagogue and heartfelt letters from faith leaders and neighbors. “The message is, you are not alone,” Kamins said. Vigils took place across Sydney and Melbourne, mixing people of various faiths and backgrounds. Sydney Friends of Standing Together hosted a memorial, originally planned for a Hanukah and Christmas celebration. About 50 attendees heard Jewish, Muslim, Christian prayers, and secular messages. Ann Porcino, with both Catholic and Jewish roots, said the event was “us reaching for each other” amid the horror. Palestinian Australian Dr Munther Emad spoke about sharing the grief. He said, “We wouldn’t be beating darkness with more darkness. The only way to actually really defeat darkness is by have a sense of unity.” Fahimah Badrulhisham from the Muslim Collective said the event created an “open space” where people saw each other’s humanity and vowed that the Bondi attack would not spark more violence.