Chabad's Public Hanukkah Lighting History

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diaspora reporter Zev Stub and religion and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Two gunmen shot dead at least 15 people and wounded dozens of others on Sunday at a Hanukkah event being held at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach to mark the first night of the Jewish holiday. There were about 1,000 Jews in attendance. We learn about the timeline of the attack and the identities of the murdered that were released by recording time.

Stub reports on what is known so far about the father-son attackers' potential motives and a potential direction police are investigating. We learn how a bystander, filmed tackling and disarming a gunman during yesterday’s terror attack, was named as Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who owns a local produce store.

And after a series of conversations yesterday with Australian Jewish leaders, Stub reports how they feel as though their fears for the community's safety were left unheeded.

Tercatin explains how in Sydney, the Chabad movement’s annual Bondi Beach Hanukkah gathering is a massive event that usually features a petting zoo, face painting and box after box of free jelly donuts. She delves into the history of large-scale Chabad-led Hanukkah events.

We then learn about Jerusalem's "cursed" museum, the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in East Jerusalem. Now again -- kind of -- open to the public. Hear what can be seen in a place where time has stood still.

And finally, we hear about a rare, 1,300-year-old lead pendant decorated with a menorah symbol was uncovered during an archaeological excavation beneath the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, north of the City of David.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Chabad rabbis, Holocaust survivor, 10-year-old among victims of Sydney Hanukkah attack

Sydney gunmen identified as father and son, reportedly possessed ISIS flag

‘A genuine hero’: Unarmed Muslim bystander filmed disarming Sydney terrorist

‘Horrified, not shocked’: Australian Jews blame Bondi attack on ongoing ‘incitement’

Bondi Beach attack comes amid years of escalating antisemitic incidents in Australia

Targeted Hanukkah lighting underscores decades-old Chabad mission to illuminate the world

Jerusalem’s ‘cursed’ antiquity museum reopens its doors amid rumors it may become a hotel

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IMAGE: Rabbi Yossi Freidman, left, holds a prayer at a flower memorial for shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

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