One week after the deadly antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, the Chief Rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine, Rabbi Avraham Wolf, has sent a sharply worded letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling for deep national soul-searching and a fundamental shift in how Australia confronts antisemitism.
Following many Chanukah celebrations in Odessa, Rabbi Wolf wrote the letter to express the concern of Jewish communities worldwide, warning that the events in Australia are not isolated, but part of a dangerous global trend that requires decisive political leadership, firm enforcement, and an uncompromising public message.
“With a broken heart and deep shock,” Rabbi Wolf writes, “we in Ukraine received the news of the murderous attack that took place in Australia. On behalf of all Jews and Jewish communities across Ukraine, and in my own name, I wish to extend sincere condolences to the families of the murdered, wishes for a full recovery to the wounded, and a warm embrace of solidarity to the Jewish community in Australia and to the Australian people as a whole.”
He notes that for years Australia was viewed as “a democratic, open, tolerant, and safe country, where minorities, including the Jewish community, could live without fear.” Precisely because of this reputation, he adds, “this event is not merely a local tragedy, but a deep moral wound.”
Rabbi Wolf goes on to stress that the attack followed thousands of documented antisemitic incidents across Australia in recent years, including vandalism, threats, and attacks on synagogues and Jewish institutions. “These are not background noise,” he writes. “They are warnings. And tragically, those warnings were not answered in time. This is not about personal blame, but about national responsibility. When antisemitism is not stopped decisively, it escalates. When hatred is tolerated, it turns into violence.”
Drawing from Ukraine’s own experience amid war, Rabbi Wolf highlights the power of moral leadership and public symbolism. Following the attack in Sydney, rabbis and Jewish community leaders across Ukraine lit Chanukah candles in the office of Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, as a sign of solidarity, pain, and hope.
He also notes that each year Chanukah candles are lit in the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscoring a clear message that Jews are an inseparable part of the nation.
“You have much to learn from other leaders around the world,” Rabbi Wolf writes to the Australian prime minister. “There are moments when visits, statements, and condemnations are not enough. Leadership is measured by the ability to identify dangerous processes in time, to change course, and to draw clear red lines before hatred turns into murder.”
He concludes with a call for comprehensive change. “The reality that has developed in Australia in recent years demands a deep reckoning and a fundamental shift in approach, in policy, in enforcement, and in public messaging. Not a response to a single incident, but a consistent, values-based, and uncompromising struggle against antisemitism as a whole.”
In a closing passage, Rabbi Wolf frames Chanukah as more than ritual. “The Chanukah candles are a message: light versus darkness, tolerance versus hatred, love versus violence, unity versus division. The recent events require a clear statement, clear actions, and leadership that does not hesitate. Leadership that tells its Jewish citizens: you are at home. And that tells antisemites and haters: you have no place in Australia, not in its streets, not in its institutions, and not in its public discourse. Sometimes leadership is measured not only by legislation and enforcement, but by the ability to set a clear moral boundary. This is such a moment.”
