Could the Bondi Beach massacre have been prevented?

The horrible events on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on December 14th, when 12 were killed and 29 wounded, by at least two gunmen, illustrates the level of threat to the Jewish community in Australia and globally.

Australia has been plagued by rising antisemitism fueled, in part, by the Australian government’s hostile attitude regarding Israel and its failure to do all it could to combat crimes motivated by antisemitism. The government had turned a blind eye to the security concerns of the Jewish community in the country and to the frequent assaults and threats aimed at members of the community. Australia’s Prime Minister, of course, said the right things about the attack, but he failed to admit to his own role in causing the tragedy.

The event that took place on Bondi beach was organized and sponsored by Chabad. Chabad-Lubavitch is a major movement within Orthodox Hasidic Judaism known for its extensive global outreach efforts to all Jews, regardless of their current level of observance. In Jewish terms, Chabad is one of the least judgmental religious groups in the Jewish religious world.

A friend of ours, Artem Ostrovsky, a hero in the fight against antisemitism, was seriously wounded on the beach where the local Chabad community was hosting the event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah (the Festival of Lights). See the video below:

The Chabad rabbi, Eli Schlanger, was killed in the shooting.

Many Chabad centers have been attacked in recent years.

Perhaps the worst, before Bondi, was the assault on the synagogue in Mumbai, India, called Nariman House.

Eight people were killed including Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka.

Other attacks or planned assaults on Chabad facilities include:

• 2025 Chabad Daycare Center, Beersheba, Israel: A Chabad-operated daycare center sustained significant damage from an Iranian cluster bomb strike in June 2025.
• 2025 Manchester, UK synagogue: An attack on a Manchester synagogue in October 2025 resulted in two deaths and three injuries.
• 2024 Foiled Athens, Greece, plot: A plot to attack the Chabad house in Athens, potentially linked to Iran, was foiled by authorities in October 2024.
• 2024 US incidents: In September 2025, three consecutive antisemitic incidents targeting Chabad centers were reported in the United States. In July 2024, a Chabad Jewish Center in Oakland, CA was vandalized twice within two weeks.
• 2019 Poway, California, shooting: A shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in April 2019 killed one woman and injured three others.
• 2019 Massachusetts arson: An alleged arsonist attacked two different Chabad centers in Massachusetts.

​There are around 4,000 Chabad-operated places of worship and study globally.

​Previous attacks and threats suggest that at least some of the terrorism is directly linked to Iran.

In my forthcoming book on security planning for holy places, an updated version of my 2019 book on the subject. I go into depth on the importance of security planning and preparation for places of worship. While the details of the Bondi beach attack are still unclear, and the Sydney police and other law enforcement organizations are just beginning their investigation, it is likely that security at Bondi beach was minimal if there was any at all.

The video evidence so far does not show any intervention by police while the shooting was taking place. We do know that once law enforcement arrived on the scene at least two officers were seriously wounded. The police killed one of the assailants, and wounded the other (of the two so far identified).

Because this was a public event with at least 1,000 in attendance, it is concerning that the authorities did not see fit to provide adequate security to protect the community.

Typically Chabad centers are shoestring operations. Many of their sites are private homes that have been re-tasked as places of worship. But one wonders whether Chabad requested a police presence at the beach Hanukkah celebration, given the scale of the events and its public nature.

Most revealing of all, one of the gunmen was attacked by an unarmed civilian who disarmed him by grabbing his weapon and wrestling it away. The hero, who clearly prevented many deaths, was 43 year-old Ahmed El Ahmad.​ Reportedly El Ahmed was twice wounded as the second gunmen opened fire from an overhead pedestrian walkway overlooking the beach.

Most experts on the rising threat of antisemitism are worried about terrorist attacks. Many radical Islamists, and others who support radical anti-Israel and anti-Jewish ideology, talk openly about killing Jews and organize protests in front of synagogues, intimidating worshippers.

There are many who are suggesting ways to lower the threshold of fear and intimidation. But that does not always work and won’t prevent violence in future. Jewish institutions need to step up their security efforts and work with law enforcement, wherever possible, to deter terrorist criminals.

​The same advice applies equally to Christian, Moslem and other religions where there have been attacks on their holy sites and on related institutions such as schools and camps or, in Europe, Christmas markets. Attacks on church goers, even ministers and priests, are reprehensible, but potentially preventable.

​Good security deters terrorism. Bad security (meaning weak or nonexistent) encourages violence. Good security means adequate police or well-trained security guards, who are armed and protected by security vests and helmets.

Cities and towns around the world need to step up and do more than offer condolences to the victims.

Stephen Bryen is the author of Security for Holy Places. This article was originally published by the author’s newsletter, Weapons and Strategy. It is republished with permission.