(RNS) — The horrific shooting on a Sydney, Australia, beach celebration marking the first night of Hanukkah was not the first time terrorists have attacked the international Hasidic Jewish movement known as Chabad, which held Sunday’s (Dec. 14) candlelighting event on Bondi Beach.
In 2008, a gunman stormed the Chabad House in the Indian city of Mumbai killing six. Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, and his pregnant wife Rivkah, 28, who ran the center, were killed. The Chabad House was eventually refurbished and reopened.
And in 2019, a shooting at a Chabad near San Diego, California, killed one and injured three.
In Sydney, a least 15 people, including a Chabad rabbi, were killed and dozens more were injured after two gunmen opened fire. Police identified the suspects as a father and son, Sajid Akram, 50, who died during the attack, and Naveed Akram, 24, who is in police custody. Law enforcement officials called the shooting a terrorist attack.
Chabad, sometimes known as Chabad-Lubavitch, a messianic Orthodox sect within Judaism, often bears the brunt of antisemitic attacks. That’s not only because its leaders are conspicuous looking — men wear black suits and hats, women wear long skirts and wigs. It’s also because Chabad is boldly public facing.
Unlike other Haredi Jewish groups, which are known for their insular, tight-knit communities that do not often mix with the wider secular society, Chabad is especially visible and exposed. The movement caters …