Plea for help in combatting hate at multifaith vigil
News
An Adelaide rabbi made an impassioned plea to people of all faiths for their support in combatting antisemitism at a moving prayer service in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral last night.
Rabbi Frankie Salzman from the Beit Shalom Synagogue said since the shocking attack in Bondi the Jewish community had received an” incredible amount of phone calls, messages and flowers” with the common question being “what can we do to help”.
Addressing more than 170 attendees in the Cathedral Rabbi Frankie said coming together to “grieve and remember the lives of the lost” was one way of helping but another was to “help ensure that this does not happen again”.
“Many people have spoken to us about how they were shocked and surprised at how awful the events were,” he said.
“And it absolutely was an awful tragedy, and it’s something that we as the Jewish community had prayed wouldn’t occur, but the truth is we weren’t shocked.
“It’s something that we had been fearful of for the last few years. We’ve been saying that there is rising antisemitism and that we need help.
“We need all of your support to combat hate, to combat this rise in what is violence against the Jewish community…(which) seeps into other places in society as well.”
Rabbi Frankie asked people to be “our partners in this” and to “call out misinformation when you see it”.
He concluded by urging people in the “days, weeks and years ahead to call on your representatives, call on your leaders, speak with your friends to make sure this awful tragedy never happens again”.
Federal Minister Penny Wong lights a candle in memory of the Bondi victims.
Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, Patrick O’Regan, welcomed to the Cathedral representatives of other faiths and political leaders, including Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, and SA Minister for Tourism and Multicultural Affairs Zoe Bettison, who represented Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“We come tonight to this vigil to express our shared grief, hope and solidarity with the Jewish community,” Archbishop O’Regan said.
“We also touch into our own grief and anguish, for grief doesn’t like to be nameless, we enter into that space just a week out from what the Christian community celebrates as the birth of Christ, the coming of Emmanuel, God with us, the prince of peace.
“With that deep longing of Advent in our hearts, with that great desire for healing and wholeness for our community, I invite you to join in our prayer tonight in whatever way you feel comfortable.”
The service began with a ‘collective lament’, followed by Scripture readings, reflections by faith leaders and lighting of candles by all attendees.
