How a mass shooting shook Australia’s Jewish community

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Apple News Today

Episode: How a mass shooting shook Australia’s Jewish community

Date: December 15, 2025
Host: Gideon Resnick (in for Shumita Basu)

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Overview

This episode centers on the devastating mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, where two gunmen targeted the Jewish community, resulting in at least 15 deaths and dozens injured. The show explores the impact on survivors and the wider Australian and global Jewish community, underlining the unprecedented nature of the attack given Australia’s strict gun laws. The episode also briefly covers ongoing peace talks to end the war in Ukraine and other news.

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Mass Shooting at Hanukkah Celebration in Australia

Main Storyline

• Incident: Two gunmen (a father and son) opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, Sydney, with over 1,000 attendees (00:05–01:10).
• Casualties: At least 15 killed, dozens injured—victims include a local rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, a French citizen, and a 10-year-old child (03:00).
• Response: One suspect dead, second in custody and critically injured (01:10).
• Community Impact: Deep sense of trauma, fear, and disruption of a key cultural event.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

  “This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith, an act of evil, anti-Semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.” (00:50)

• Eyewitness Arson Ostrovsky:

  “There were hundreds of people, children, kids at a festival playing. And then all of a sudden it's absolute chaos... My only concern was where are my kids? Where’s my wife? Where's my family?” (01:30)

• Unnamed Eyewitness:

  “I just ran, grabbed my kids and just ran down to the beach and hid behind the wall. My wife and two other children actually ran a different direction and were hiding somewhere else... It was just a terrible event for everybody.” (01:54)

Heroism Amid the Tragedy

• Ahmed Al Ahmed Kai:
  Footage showed Kai disarming a gunman, risking his own life; he was shot and hospitalized.
  NSW State Premier Chris Minns:

  “That man is a genuine hero and I've got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery.” (02:38)

Community Devastation

• Alex Rivchin, co-CEO Executive Council of Australian Jewry:

  “This was always the kind of jewel in the crown of the Jewish communal calendar... Now it’s ended in a massacre on the beach in body bags and corpses. Tomorrow we'll be burying the dead... it's difficult to imagine how we'll ever be able to celebrate again.” (03:32)

• Unnamed Rabbi:

  “The Jewish people, from the days of the story of Hanukkah... our light has not been dimmed and we will continue to light our candles and to stand strong and to stand very tall and proud.” (04:13)

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Broader Context and Comparisons

• Deadliest Since 1996:
  The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre (03:00), after which strict gun laws were implemented.
• Resilience:
  Despite the horror, the Jewish community expresses determination to carry on traditions and not let fear or hate prevail (04:13).
• Global Solidarity:
  National Menorah lighting continued in Washington D.C. as planned, symbolizing continuity and unity (04:32).

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Related News: Ukraine Peace Talks

Key Developments

• High-Stakes Negotiations:
  Diplomatic efforts intensify in Berlin involving the US, Europe, and Ukraine, with the White House’s special envoy present. President Zelenskyy is willing to forego NATO aspirations for strong security guarantees (04:32–06:05).

• Lawrence Norman (Wall Street Journal reporter):
  Discusses the complexity and internal divisions among the West:

  “The reason that they keep having rounds of negotiations... is because Ukraine and Europe do not feel that the United States is pushing the Russians to accept a deal that would be reasonable, fair for Ukraine.” (06:17)

• President Trump (on Ukraine):

  "It's not easy with Russia because Russia has the upper hand, and they always did... at some point, size will win." (06:55)

• US & European Stance:
  The US has contributed over $100 billion to Ukraine’s defense but is seen as pressuring Ukraine towards a quick resolution, raising European concerns about durability and fairness (07:39; 07:53).

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Other Headlines

Brown University Shooting (Providence, Rhode Island)

• Incident: Two killed, multiple injuries after a shooter entered a classroom during a review session (08:20–09:28).

• Witness (Joseph Aduro, TA):

  “He came in, pointed the gun and then screamed something... then he just started shooting right after that.” (09:28)
  “Who knows if I didn't duck, maybe I'm not here today.” (09:58)

• Impact:
  University cancels remaining exams, with students traumatized and sheltering in place (10:22).
  Audio of police entering the library captures the chaos (10:39).

Historic Washington Floods

• Assessment begins after major damage, with more rain on the way (11:05–11:25).

NFL and Entertainment Update

• Return of Philip Rivers:
  44-year-old quarterback comes out of retirement for the Colts; throws 120 yards, a TD, and an interception in a loss (11:40).
• Dick Van Dyke Turns 100:
  The comedy icon celebrates a milestone, reflecting:

  “The funniest thing is it's not enough. A hundred years is not enough. You want to live more, which I plan to.” (12:30)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• Australia Hanukkah Shooting: 00:05–04:32
• Ukraine Negotiations: 04:32–07:53
• Brown University Shooting: 08:20–10:22
• Other News: 11:05–12:40

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Episode Takeaways

• The Sydney Hanukkah mass shooting is an unprecedented tragedy for Australia’s Jewish community and the nation at large, shaking a sense of safety long preserved since major gun reforms.
• Survivors and officials articulate both horror and resilience, while individual heroism like that of Ahmed Al Ahmed Kai provides glimmers of hope.
• Broader international stories—such as peace talks in Ukraine and another campus shooting in America—underscore a world grappling with violence and the search for security.

This episode captures moments of heartbreak, bravery, and enduring faith amidst crisis.

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Transcript

[Gideon Resnick]

Good morning. It's Monday, December 15th. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamita Basu. This is Apple News today. On today's show, two mass shootings across the world rattle communities. A critical week for efforts to end the war in Ukraine. And more rain is on the way for flood soaked Washington. Let's start in Australia, which is in a state of shock and grief after two gunmen, authorities identified as a father and son, opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration, killing at least 15 people and leaving dozens more injured. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the nation yesterday.

[Anthony Albanese]

This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith, an act of evil, anti Semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.

[Gideon Resnick]

Over 1000 people had gathered on Sydney's Bondi beach when authorities say the two gunmen began firing into the crowd. One of the suspects is now dead and the other is in custody and critically injured. Arson Ostrovsky was in the middle of the crowd and spoke to Australia's nine News. Near the beach, his face bloodied and bandaged. After the shooting, there were hundreds of.

[Arson Ostrovsky]

People, children, kids at a festival playing. And then all of a sudden it's absolute chaos. We didn't know what was happening, where the gunfire was coming from. I saw blood gushing in front of me. I saw people hit so people fall to the ground. My only concern was where are my kids? Where are my kids? Where's my wife? Where's my family?

[Gideon Resnick]

Australia 7 News spoke to another eyewitness who had been hit with some shrapnel.

[Unnamed Eyewitness]

I just ran, grabbed my kids and just ran down to the beach and hid behind the wall. My wife and two other children actually ran a different direction and were hiding somewhere else. It was a very stressful hour. I was in the Surf Lifesavers club and I came back down looking for them and there's, you know, bodies all over the floor. Like it was not something that you would ever in a million years believe that this is Bondi Beach. I'm one of the lucky ones. But it was just a terrible event for everybody.

[Gideon Resnick]

Extraordinary footage also emerged of one man since identified by family as 43 year old Ahmed Al Ahmed Kai coming from behind a shooter to disarm him. A relative told Australia 7 News that Ahmed has been shot and was receiving treatment in the hospital. The New South Wales State Premier Chris Minns paid tribute to him at a press conference.

[Anthony Albanese]

It's the most unbelievable scene I've ever seen. A man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single handedly disarming him, putting his own life at risk to save the lives of countless other people. That man is a genuine hero and I've got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery.

[Gideon Resnick]

According to statements from family members and organizations, a local rabbi was among those killed, as were a French citizen there to celebrate Hanukkah, a Holocaust survivor and a 10 year old child. This is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre of 1996. There, 35 people died and it led to an overhaul of the country's gun laws. And since then these kinds of attacks have been rare. Alex Rivchin is the co CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. He spoke to the BBC about how important the Hanukkah event has been in the past.

[Alex Rivchin]

This was always the kind of jewel in the crown of the Jewish communal calendar in this country. This was especially with everything that's transpired in the last couple of years. This was a night of real joy, an outpouring of celebration, of happiness. A feeling that we've come through something and now it's ended in a massacre on the beach in body bags and corpses. Tomorrow we'll be burying the dead, we'll be coming together as a community and it's difficult to imagine how we'll ever be able to celebrate again.

[Gideon Resnick]

NBC spoke with a rabbi who was performing a wedding nearby on the beach and he said that despite the day's events, Jewish traditions would continue on.

[Unnamed Rabbi]

What I can also tell you is that the Jewish people, from the days of the story of Hanukkah, which is going back 2200 years, 2002, our light has not been dimmed and we will continue to light our candles and to stand strong and to stand very tall and proud.

[Gideon Resnick]

Indeed. Last night the national menorah lighting in Washington D.C. went on as planned. It's a big week for talks to end the war in Ukraine. The White House's special envoy, among others, arrived in Berlin on Sunday for negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Zelenskyy prepared citizens in an address over the weekend for what could be the most consequential negotiations of the year. He pledged to pursue a dignified peace and to ensure that Russia wouldn't invade Ukraine again. And Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday he would drop the long held ambition to join NATO if Ukraine receives security guarantees against any future Russian invasion. The Wall Street Journal broke news that the talks were taking place. We spoke to their reporter Lawrence Norman from Berlin for a sense of what to expect here.

[Lawrence Norman]

The two key issues that have come up again and again are territory and security guarantees. Now, on territory, the Americans are pushing the Ukrainians to withdraw even from some areas the Ukrainian forces control in the eastern Donbas region, which is something Ukraine until now, has ruled out. The Europeans and the Ukrainians are saying we need to know is what exactly would the US Role be if in future Russia broke the peace deal and came back and attacked us?

[Gideon Resnick]

Norman told us these issues were interlinked. The more territory Ukraine concedes, the stronger it would want security guarantees to be. And although the war has two sides, the talks this week are really between different factions of the same side.

[Lawrence Norman]

Let's be very frank. The reason that they keep having rounds of negotiations between Ukraine, Europe and the United States is because Ukraine and Europe do not feel that the United States is pushing the Russians to accept a deal that would be reasonable, fair for Ukraine. If there were no concerns, they wouldn't be meeting between the U.S. the Ukrainians and the Europeans. They would be meeting the U.S. the Ukrainians, and the Russians.

[Gideon Resnick]

Last week, President Trump spoke to Politico about the war, offering some mixed signals. He both praised and criticized European leaders and suggested Ukraine's negotiating position was weak.

[Donald Trump]

It's not easy with Russia because Russia has the upper hand, and they always did. They're much bigger, they're much stronger in that sense. I give Ukraine a lot of. I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that. But, you know, at some point, size will win.

[Lawrence Norman]

Generally, that's not a view that's broadly shared among military officials. Their view is that the Ukrainians seem to be able to hold out for the foreseeable future, and that's a very big difference. But there is no doubt that he is on the back foot domestically, he's on the back foot militarily, and he's on the back foot under pressure from the Trump administration.

[Gideon Resnick]

The US government estimates it's contributed well over $100 billion in its response to Russia's invasion since the war began. And as the war continues, the White House has remained keen for a quick resolution, something that worries European leaders.

[Lawrence Norman]

The concern is that the Trump administration is eager to seal a deal. The concern is that the Trump administration overestimates the strength of Russia on the battlefield and is trying to press Ukraine into a deal that may not be durable. And quite frankly, the Americans are pretty open in saying we're not coming into this as Ukraine's defender against Russia. We are mediating between the two.

[Gideon Resnick]

Norman said that for now, Russia can essentially sit back and enjoy the spectacle of allied countries negotiating among themselves without having to commit. And in the meantime, Russian strikes continue in Ukraine. Over the weekend, they struck at Ukraine's energy grid, leaving a million households without power. Let's turn now to another mass shooting over the weekend, this one at Brown University in Providence, Rhode island, where two people were killed and several more were injured. On Sunday morning, authorities there arrested a person of interest about 20 miles south of the scene. But last night that initial person who had been detained was released. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said he knew that update is likely to cause fresh anxiety, but believes that everyone in the community remains safe. The incident unfolded Saturday afternoon when the shooter allegedly entered a classroom shortly after 4pm and started firing. Joseph Aduro is a teaching assistant who is in that room where the shooting happened. He was addressing students who were taking part in a review session before their final exams. Aduro told CNN what happened.

[Joseph Aduro]

He came in, pointed the gun and then screamed something. I don't know what he said and none of the other students know what he said. But yeah, then he just started shooting right after that. So from that moment to the first gunshot, it was probably around five to.

[Gideon Resnick]

Seven seconds, aduro said. In the flurry of it all, he couldn't quite make out what the shooter looked like or whether they were targeting any of the students directly.

[Joseph Aduro]

The first couple gunshots went straight to the chalkboard, exactly where I was standing. So who knows if I didn't duck, maybe I'm not here today. That's something that's we don't know. As soon as I locked eyes with him and his gun, I immediately looked at my residence and dropped down and I didn't look up until DPS was here telling us that things are going to be okay.

[Gideon Resnick]

Video is also emerging of students in other parts of the campus as they sheltered in place. Some hidden bathrooms, others blocked doors with chairs and whiteboards. This is the sound of the moment that police entered the university library, where students had barricaded themselves after learning an active shooter was on the campus.

[Unnamed Eyewitness]

Police.

[Gideon Resnick]

Police.

[Alex Rivchin]

Providence police.

[Gideon Resnick]

Hands. Hands. Hands.

[Unnamed Eyewitness]

Hands.

[Lawrence Norman]

Hands.

[Gideon Resnick]

Victims who survived were still in the hospital on Sunday, and the university canceled all remaining classes and exams for the remainder of the semester. As for Aduro, he told the Washington Post he's trying to be a resource for anyone who needs it. And finally, a few other stories we're following. Officials in Washington have begun to assess the damage from historic flooding that hit the state this past week. The flooding forced thousands to evacuate their homes, and local and federal authorities have conducted a number of rescues. President Trump signed an emergency declaration on Friday to provide help with recovery efforts. Even as some of the waters began to recede. More rain was in store for the region beginning last night, with a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Seattle saying we're not out of the woods. In sports, yesterday marked the surprising return for an NFL great who hadn't seen the field in the last five years. 44 year old Philip Rivers, who is, I should note, a grandfather, started at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts yesterday. He was surprisingly tapped for the job after the team's starting qb, Daniel Jones, suffered a season ending injury last week. Rivers had been coaching high school football when he got the call to rejoin the Colts. They were the last team that he played for before retiring in 2021. The Colts lost to the Seahawks on Sunday. Rivers threw for 120 yards, a touchdown and one interception. And in other grandfather news, the legendary comedy icon Dick van Dyke turned 100 years old over the weekend. He recently sat down with ABC News to talk about the milestone and, well, his future ambitions.

[Donald Trump]

The funniest thing is it's not enough. A hundred years is not enough. You want to live more, which I plan to.

[Gideon Resnick]

Across many decades in television and film, Van Dyke has won multiple Emmys, a Tony Award and a Grammy, leaving him just one short of the egot title that so few have. And as he looks forward to what's next, he told People one thing about being 100 is that for some reason he can't always remember what he had for breakfast, but he still remembers all his favorite show tune lyrics. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening to the news app right now we have a narrated article that's coming up next. The New Yorker reports on the many people who say they want to leave the country because of President Trump's re election and the relocation company that is helping them do it. If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News Narrated to find that story and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.