{"id":453433,"date":"2025-12-17T14:54:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/453433\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T14:54:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:54:18","slug":"dallas-civic-leaders-attend-hanukkah-event-as-world-reels-from-sydney-terror-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/453433\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas civic leaders attend Hanukkah event as world reels from Sydney terror attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

The smell of latkes and other traditional Jewish foods wafted through the air Tuesday night at the Dallas<\/a> Holocaust and Human Rights Museum as small groups of people gathered at the museum\u2019s West End site to celebrate the third night of Hanukkah<\/a>. <\/p>\n

More than 50 people came together and mingled at small tables swathed in blue-and-silver decor to observe the Jewish holiday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here to thank God for the countless miracles that allowed us to arrive at this moment in which we can gather together, representing so many different countries, religions and people to celebrate this day,\u201d Rabbi Michael Lewis of Temple Emanu-El said while leading the attendees in a group prayer before the three candles were lit. <\/p>\n

\"Temple<\/p>\n

Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Michael Lewis speaks during a Hanukkah candle lighting and reception at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

El\u00edas Valverde II \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Breaking News<\/p>\n

Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dallas event was hosted by the Holocaust museum in partnership with the Dallas American Jewish Committee and honored the lives of 15 people who were killed Sunday \u2014 the first night of Hanukkah \u2014 during a shooting on Sydney\u2019s famed Bondi Beach. <\/p>\n

Authorities said two people opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration<\/a>, killing over a dozen people, including a young child. The incident was the deadliest shooting in nearly 30 years in a country known for strict gun control laws<\/a>. A 50-year-old suspected gunman was fatally shot by police while his 24-year-old son was wounded, officials have said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis attack was designed to target Sydney\u2019s Jewish community,\u201d New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said after the shooting.<\/p>\n

Following the tragedy, Dallas police stated they would \u201cmaintain an established presence and heightened awareness<\/a>” at Hanukkah events across the city.<\/p>\n

The attack was not far from the minds of those who gathered Tuesday in Dallas to observe the holiday that commemorates the centuries-ago victory of a small group of Jewish fighters over Syrian-Greek forces. <\/p>\n

A host of dignitaries from places like Canada, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine and Tanzania joined Dallas City Council members and community representatives to participate in the ceremony and unveil a new museum initiative.<\/p>\n

\"Vitalii<\/p>\n

Vitalii Tarasiuk, Consulate General of Ukraine in Houston, speaks alongside Mary Pat Higgins, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum president and CEO, during a Hanukkah candle lighting and reception at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

El\u00edas Valverde II \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

The new initiative provides a full audio tour of the museum in Ukrainian and is expected to launch in early 2026.<\/p>\n

It is part of a global effort led by Ukraine\u2018s first lady Olena Zelenska to ensure her country\u2019s language and culture are accessible at leading institutions around the world, Ukrainian Consul General Vitalii Tarasiuk said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis museum demonstrates that genocide is not confined to one place or one time,\u201d Tarasiuk said. \u201cAs we light the Hanukkah candles tonight, we are reminded that Hanukkah is the story of light against darkness, of resilience in the face of overwhelming force.\u201d <\/p>\n

Joel Schwitzer, American Jewish Committee regional director, emphasized that celebrations that bring people together provide the light and support that is needed during challenging times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a time that we find ourselves in too often, where we\u2019re together after a moment of tragedy in our Jewish community, both here in Dallas and globally,\u201d Schwitzer said. \u201dOnly light can dispel the darkness and celebrating Hanukkah represents that light.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A monitor encourages attendees to share their photos with the hashtag \u201cLight for Australia\u201d during a Hanukkah candle lighting and reception at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

El\u00edas Valverde II \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Hanukkah runs from Dec. 14 through Dec. 22 this year. Schwitzer encouraged those celebrating Hanukkah and those who attended the ceremony to post photos with #LightForAustralia to honor the lives lost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The smell of latkes and other traditional Jewish foods wafted through the air Tuesday night at the Dallas…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":453434,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,7712,14842,11412,42423,7709,99,54428,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-453433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-fortworth","11":"tag-dallas-police","12":"tag-faith","13":"tag-guns","14":"tag-holidays","15":"tag-israel","16":"tag-northpark-center","17":"tag-texas","18":"tag-tx","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-united-states-of-america","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115735487216857452","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}