The Jewish community is always thinking about their safety, leaders said. But "joy and love and community" can't be dimmed.

Bondi Beach should have been a place of light. On that warm December evening, Jews gathered along Sydney's shoreline for Chanukah by the Sea, a public Hanukkah celebration marked by prayer, music, and remembrance.

Hundreds had gathered for an event at Bondi Beach called Chanukah by the Sea, which was celebrating the start of the Hanukkah Jewish festival.

Well-intentioned commentators have proclaimed anguish that this holiday of “light” and “togetherness” could be marred with a massacre. But that vision of Hanukkah is a lie.

Thousands of surfers and swimmers at Bondi Beach gathered for a mass paddle, forming a heart in the water, to pay tribute to the victims of the recent mass shooting at a Hanukkah event, which killed 15 people and injured dozens more.

People of all ages had been looking forward to celebrating — especially this year, as a ceasefire in Gaza has held since October and all but one of the hostages taken by Hamas-led militants have been returned.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area is calling for the resignation of a local mayor who reposted conspiracy theories to his Linkedin account that claimed the Bondi Beach attack on a Hanukkah celebration was a “false flag” perpetrated by Israel.

Cops in Australia say suspects detained en route to Bondi Beach have ideological link with the terrorists * Funeral held for Jewish couple killed while trying to disarm one of the attackers