Maryland politicians condemned antisemitism while Jewish community leaders vowed to continue “spreading light” after a terrorist attack on Australians celebrating Hanukkah left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured on Sunday, the first day of Judaism’s Festival of Lights.

“The enemies of light want us to cower in fear,” said Rabbi Tzvi Schectman of the Chabad of White Marsh. “We respond by standing tall, proud and united… Now, more than ever, we need to show the world — and ourselves — that the Jewish flame cannot be extinguished.”

Jewish leaders across the state condemned the shooting but all remained clear that their events will continue with enhanced security.

Rabbi Yaakov Kaplan of the Chabad of South Baltimore and University of Maryland said he knew Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the shooting. He called the attack an “attack meant to strike fear into every Jew” wherever they are. Kaplan said his response will be to confront hate with action, positivity and Jewish pride.

“We stand as proud Jews, from Sydney to Baltimore,” Kaplan said. “More determined than ever to live as Jews, to celebrate as Jews and to carry forward the beautiful, unbroken heritage that has sustained us throughout the generations.”

The shooting occurred Sunday evening at Bondi Beach, a suburb of Sydney that draws millions of visitors each year. Australian authorities said two gunmen, identified as a father and son, opened fire on the gathering, leaving at least 42 people wounded, including two police officers.

Authorities said a 50-year-old gunman was fatally shot by police, while the other shooter, his 24-year-old son, was wounded and hospitalized. Police said one of the gunmen was known to security services but that authorities had no indication of a planned attack.

Those killed ranged in age from 10 to 87, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said.

Social media videos showed Bondi beachgoers running from the scene. One widely shared video showed an unarmed civilian tackling and disarming one of the gunmen before setting the weapon on the ground. Minns called the man, identified by Australian media as Ahmed al Ahmed, a “genuine hero.”

Rabbi Levi Druk, director of the Chabad Lubavitch of Downtown Baltimore, said terrorist attacks are “designed” to intimidate and called on his fellow Jews to respond with “pride.”

“Obviously we have to be careful, but what these terrorist attacks are designed to do is intimidate,” Druk said. “We have to respond with greater pride and greater strength and not give the bad people what they are looking for.”

In a statement Sunday, Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen said he has personally experienced “antisemitic threats” on his life and spent time last week “having Nazi insignia removed from a billboard in Baltimore.” He called the shooting a “moment of profound darkness,” but said he refuses to live in fear.

“The only way out is to embrace each other as neighbors,” Cohen said. “I refuse to live in fear. I love our beautiful, complex, diverse city. Shalom.”

Baltimore City Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer, who is also Jewish, said the shooting during the Festival of Lights “reminds us exactly why that light matters” and argued world leaders must do more to combat rising antisemitic hatred in the two years since Hamas attacked Israel.

“This is what “globalize the intifada” looks like in real life…violence against Jews,” Schleifer posted on X Sunday morning. “And yet, too many still struggle to plainly condemn antisemitism.”

Schleifer vowed that Jews would “not hide” amid continued violence worldwide since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.

“We will spread light while others choose hate,” he wrote. “We pray for the victims, the Jewish community in Sydney, and for true peace, built on moral clarity, not silence. The light will win.”

In September, the Australian government joined other Western governments in recognizing a Palestinian state while war between Hamas and Israel continued in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued this foreign policy decision enabled the gunmen to “pour fuel on the antisemitic fire” by directly targeting a Jewish gathering.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore condemned the terrorists for “brutally murder[ing] innocent people at a public community gathering” and left a message for Jewish people in his state.

“The First Lady and I know this horrific tragedy hits close to home, and our hearts break alongside Jewish communities around the world,” Moore wrote on X. “Hanukkah teaches us that light can overcome darkness. Here in Maryland, we will keep showing up, standing together, and choosing light over hate.”

Jewish community members like George Faber, who is involved in several local Chabad groups, said the violence sends a “terrible message” that he hopes does not deter people from celebrating in public.

“This sends a terrible message because it’s the beginning of a holiday that is accepted worldwide and is as American as the Christmas tree lightings that have been happening since Thanksgiving,” Faber said. “When these horrible incidents happen in a public place [and] people don’t feel comfortable going out to an event, then we have lost something.”

Faber added that he is not deterred from celebrating his religion in public because he said he is always “as careful as possible” and always “looking behind his back.” He called the shooting the “deadliest day for Jewish people” since the 2023 attack when over 1,200 people were killed by Hamas in Israel.

“The message of Hanukkah is that we go out in the darkness, the cold, and we light a candle and a little candle can chase away a lot of darkness,” said Druk, the Downtown Baltimore rabbi. “So when things seem terrible and negative, that is the time to proceed with doing positive things. A little light can chase away a lot of darkness.”

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