Australia (MNN) — Hanukkah ends tonight, but Australians will be grappling with hard questions about rising antisemitism for days and months to come. Last week’s terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more who were gathered to celebrate Hanukkah. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has since vowed to crack down on hate speech, yet legislation alone cannot change hearts.
For Ilya Butolin with Beit Hallel Congregation, his first response when he hears of attacks like this against Jewish communities is something like panic. “What’s going on? Why? Why do they hate the Jews that much, and why in the holidays?” runs through his mind.
Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia (Photo courtesy Larry Snickers/Pexels)
Yet Butolin reminds us that Scripture teaches there is a spiritual battle playing out in the physical world.
“We can see that it’s two Muslims who did this terror attack,” he says. “But on the other hand, another Muslim stopped the attack. That’s how you can see that it’s really a spiritual thing. It’s not that all the Muslims are bad. But it’s really [in the] spiritual realm. It’s really demons that [are] leading these people to this thing.”
Australia has seen more than 3,700 antisemitic attacks since the Israel-Hamas war started two years ago. The timing of the Bondi Beach shooting — right before the first night of Hanukkah — sent a message of fear in direct opposition to what the festival means.
“First and foremost, it’s the holiday of light. Funny enough, it’s the only feast that is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but Jesus mentioned that. Jesus celebrates Hanukkah,” says Butolin, referring to John 10:22. “So it’s really a powerful feast for us, for Messianic Jews, for Jews in Israel. It’s a feast of light, of happiness, of victory over the darkness.”
As the Body of Christ, please engage in this spiritual battle by praying. Pray for the families of the 15 victims, that God will reveal the comfort of Christ to them.
“Nothing can fill up this hole — nothing except Christ, nothing except God, and that’s a time for us to pray for these families, that God will comfort them,” says Butolin.
“It’s important for us to stand in love and in prayer also for the Muslim people, that they will see the truth as well — not only the Jews — but [that] they will see Jesus as well.”
Header photo of a menorah courtesy of Cottonbro Studio via Pexels.
