610 CKTB| Bondi Beach & Jew Hate in Canada

Jon Liedtke joins 610 CKTB's Gene Valaitis to discuss the December 14, 2025 targeted terrorist attack at a “Chanukah by the Sea” celebration in Bondi Beach, Australia, that resulted in the murder of fifteen Jewish people, including a 10-year-old child and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.The perpetrators—an ISIS-radicalized father and son—exploited severe systemic failures within Australia’s security apparatus. Despite the son being on a national security watchlist since 2019 and the pair recently visiting a known jihadist hub in the Philippines, the father maintained a legal firearms license for six weapons under the same roof as the son. This disconnect between intelligence databases and gun registries allowed a high-risk household to remain armed, leading to a daylight mass-execution that sent shockwaves through the global Jewish community and the world more broadly.While the tragedy highlights a breakdown in security, it also brought forward acts of profound heroism and communal resilience. Ahmed Al Ahmed, a Syrian refugee and local shop owner, risked his life to tackle one of the shooters, sustaining multiple injuries while successfully disarming the attacker. This act of cross-community bravery stands in stark contrast to the hate that fueled the massacre. Boris and Sofia Gurman, 69 and 61 respectively, attempted to prevent one of the terrorists from opening fire on a highway. After several minutes of struggling back and forth, the terrorist overpowered them, regained his weapon, and shot the two of them, with both dying.May their memories be blessings.In Windsor, Ontario, the local Jewish community mirrored this resilience by proceeding with its annual riverfront Hanukkah lighting under heavy police protection. Supported by local officials, the event served as a necessary act of defiance against a backdrop of increasing threats and a refusal to allow international terror to silence local Jewish life.The Bondi massacre serves as a dire warning for Canada, where antisemitism has reached record levels. According to B’nai Brith Canada, 2024 saw 6,219 reported incidents—an average of 17 per day and a 124% increase since 2022. This surge includes a nationwide pattern of violence, from the firebombing of synagogues in Montreal to repeated shootings at Jewish schools in Toronto. As Australia moves to close its legislative and security gaps, Canada faces its own reckoning regarding the normalization of hate and the radicalization occurring within its borders. The escalating data suggests that without urgent, decisive intervention and improved security protocols, the risks to the Canadian Jewish community remain at an all-time high.