Reverend Marco Ste-Marie

Many of us have been shaken by the news from Sydney, Australia. On December 14, 2025, a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach was attacked in a mass shooting that authorities are treating as an antisemitic terror attack.

This was meant to be a moment of light—community, rejoicing, family, and prayer. Instead, it became a scene of horror and deep grief. Among those killed was Alexander (“Alex”) Kleytman, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, who died while shielding his wife.

This strikes at the very heart of human dignity.

In moments like this, we may feel anger, fear, sadness, or helplessness. If you are carrying any of that, you are not alone. Grief is not a failure of faith; it is one of the ways love shows itself.

As Christians, we return again to the call to love: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Jesus did not invent this command—he reaffirmed what was already held in the Torah: Leviticus 19:18. Jesus echoes it in Mark 12:31, Matthew 22:39, and Luke 10:27.

This is a needed reminder: loving our neighbour includes loving those who do not look like us, worship like us, vote like us, or believe as we do. It includes our Jewish neighbours—especially when they are targeted, threatened, and made to feel unsafe.

It is heartbreaking that many Jewish communities gather for worship with security at the door. No one should have to wonder whether a prayer service will be interrupted by danger. And yet this is a reality for far too many.

So what can we do?

We can grieve with our Jewish neighbours, without minimizing their pain or rushing past it.

We can name antisemitism for what it is, and refuse to treat hatred as “normal.”

We can pray—and also act: checking in on Jewish friends, learning, speaking up when we hear hateful speech, and supporting local efforts that build trust and safety.

In the days ahead, if you are feeling distressed, unsettled, or simply heavy-hearted, please reach out. I am here to listen, to pray with you, and to walk with you. May we be a community that carries light into dark places—through compassion, courage, and steady love.

With care and prayer,

Rev. Marco