Australia holds a day of reflection to honour the victims of the , in which 15 members of the Jewish community were killed last week, according to a statement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's office.
“People across the country are invited to light a candle at 6:47 p.m., exactly one week since the attack unfolded, as a quiet act of remembrance with family, friends or loved ones," it added. "We are also asking Australians to observe a minute of silence at 6:47 p.m.”
Australian flags at government offices and state buildings in New South Wales are being flown at half-mast to pay a mark of respect to the victims of the attack. Sunday is the last day of Hanukkah, and some rabbis are telling Australians to celebrate the festivities with them at Bondi Beach.
An Indian-born Australian citizen, Sajid Akram, and his son, Naveed Akram, had shot dead 15 Jewish community members in Australia last week. Authorities said that the attackers were motivated by Islamic State ideology. It is believed that both attackers travelled to the Philippines for military training a month before the attack.
Sajid, 50, was killed in a shootout with police during the Bondi attack. Naveed, 24, was injured but survived and now faces 59 charges for his presumed role in the attack. According to Australian authorities, the Bondi Beach attack was the worst terror attack in the country’s history since the 1996 Port Arthur attack.
After the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused Anthony Albanese of not doing enough against rising anti-Semitism, was quickly rebuked by the Australian government for his hate-filled and divisive rhetoric. Instead, the Albanese government pledged stronger gun measures and a buyback of surplus weapons in the country.
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