{"id":428679,"date":"2026-01-21T23:01:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/428679\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T23:01:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:01:18","slug":"sydney-rabbi-shares-rituals-behind-how-jews-grieve-and-heal-amid-national-day-of-mourning-for-bondi-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/428679\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney rabbi shares rituals behind how Jews grieve and heal, amid National Day of Mourning for Bondi victims"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the sun streams through the stained glass windows of Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney’s east, Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio says she feels hope that her community is now on the path to healing following the atrocities at Bondi Beach last month.<\/p>\n

Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists launched a series of deadly attacks on Israel, Rabbi Ninio has had many congregants reach out for support.<\/p>\n

“I don’t have the answers or the solutions, but it’s an opportunity to just share how they’re feeling,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Now there’s 15 families who have felt the closeness of what occurred at Bondi, but there’s also so many injured and wounded. Those who witnessed. The ripples of this have really touched so many people.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Emanuel Synagogue in Woollahra is one of Australia’s largest synagogues. (ABC News: Monish Nand)<\/p>\n

In these sacred spaces like the synagogue at Woollahra, Rabbi Ninio and fellow leaders in the Jewish community have felt privileged to provide care in any way they can.<\/p>\n

At a recent memorial, one of Emanuel Synagogue’s congregants, a survivor of the attack, spoke about the horrors she endured that day and the miraculous survival of her and her daughter.<\/p>\n

If you or anyone you know needs help:Lifeline<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0131 114Kids Helpline<\/a> on 1800 551 800Witness to War hotline<\/a> on 1800 845 198Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 224 636Headspace<\/a> on 1800 650 890SANE <\/a>on 1800 187 263Call Triple-0 if you need immediate care<\/p>\n

She also called on the community to choose compassion and to focus on finding their “golden heart”.<\/p>\n

“She’s a remarkable human being,” Rabbi Ninio said.<\/p>\n

“She had told her daughter in that moment, ‘Go inside yourself and hold onto heart’. That’s what the message to the community has been all along.”<\/p>\n

For many people of the Jewish faith, they find wisdom in the traditions and rituals and clarity in the prayers and psalms \u2014 things that were written so many thousands of years ago resonating deeply with the community today.<\/p>\n

\"Bondi<\/p>\n

One of the survivors of the attack said she chooses compassion and finding her “golden heart”, imploring others to do the same. (ABC News: Jack Fisher)<\/p>\n

How the Jewish community mourns<\/p>\n

At the end of a funeral service, Rabbi Ninio says to mourners: “Now go forth to life.”<\/p>\n

“In that moment of loss, there’s an acknowledgement that life is not going to be the same, but that we can’t stay at the grave,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We need to walk back into the world.”<\/p>\n

\"Rabbi<\/p>\n

Rabbi Ninio often tells her congregants: “Now go forth to life.” (ABC News: Monish Nand)<\/p>\n

With stones instead of flowers placed at the gravesite \u2014 because flowers wilt and die \u2014 the stones are a sign of enduring remembrance.<\/p>\n

At the temporary memorial at Bondi Pavilion in the days following the attack, stones of a great variety were left in honour of the victims.<\/p>\n

Some had Hebrew prayers written on them, others had Stars of David, menorahs and handpainted bee motifs in honour of 10-year-old Matilda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Jewish<\/p>\n

Many of the stones from the temporary memorial have been recovered for a future commemorative artwork. (Supplied: Sydney Jewish Museum)<\/p>\n

As per Jewish custom, the funerals for those killed in the attack occurred as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Following a burial, an intense seven-day period of grieving takes place, known as Shiva.<\/p>\n

“The tradition tells us to just focus on our loss, our grief \u2014 to feel the emotions and be in that pain,” Rabbi Ninio said.<\/p>\n

For seven days after each Jewish funeral, a lit candle burns continuously, a physical reminder of the person’s soul and the life they had.<\/p>\n

While sitting Shiva, the Mourner’s Kaddish is recited in honour and to give thanks to the gift of the person’s life.<\/p>\n

“The prayer is traditionally said in the presence of a minyan \u2014 a quorum of other Jewish people \u2014 because nobody should be alone in that grief,” Rabbi Ninio said.<\/p>\n

\"Rabbi<\/p>\n

The Mourner’s Kaddish is recited in honour and memory of the deceased person’s life, Rabbi Ninio says. (ABC News: Monish Nand)<\/p>\n

After Shiva, a new stage of grief is entered, Shloshim.<\/p>\n

“This 30-day period is a time when we return back to the world but in a very gentle and muted way. There’s a recognition that we do need to return to life, as we can’t stay in that grief, but we’re not in a place yet where we can’t pretend nothing has happened,” she said.<\/p>\n

“People live on through us \u2014 through our stories and memories of them.”<\/p>\n

\"Inside<\/p>\n

Shloshim refers to the traditional 30-day period of mourning following the burial. (ABC News: Monish Nand)<\/p>\n

The power of one small mitzvah<\/p>\n

As the victims’ families mark the end of Shloshim, the National Day of Mourning will be taking place today.<\/p>\n

“The theme the Chabad Community in Bondi has chosen for us all is ‘Light will win, a gathering of unity and remembrance’,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.<\/p>\n

“A message of hope and unity to guide and inspire Australians, as we move forward.”<\/p>\n

Viral Bondi lifeguard recalls terror attack<\/a><\/p>\n

Much of Jackson ‘Jacko’ Doolan’s memory from December 14 is a blur, but there is one moment that remains crystal clear.<\/p>\n

All Australians are encouraged to observe one minute of silence at 19:01 AEDT, to come together with loved ones, leave a candle on their doorstep or window as a symbol of solidarity and undertake a mitzvah, otherwise known as an act of kindness.<\/p>\n

For Rabbi Ninio, this is the message she shares with her congregants \u2014 to go out and bring goodness into this world, even in the face of sorrow.<\/p>\n

“We don’t want to step into the world with negativity, but instead as we try to heal ourselves, also heal the brokenness around us,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We will move forward in this world with light and goodness and do what the Jewish community have been doing for thousands of years, and that’s taking tragedy and darkness and trying to heal and repair.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the sun streams through the stained glass windows of Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney’s east, Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428680,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,192749,196324,224805,193613,224812,224792,224796,224806,26763,224795,224798,224799,224800,224810,224801,224802,61162,224808,224797,224811,44,74732,224793,224809,224807,114870,224804,224803,224794],"class_list":["post-428679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bondi-attack","tag-bondi-massacre","tag-bondi-pavilion-memorial","tag-bondi-terrorist-attack","tag-chabad-community-in-bondi","tag-emanuel-synagogue","tag-grief-in-judaism","tag-hebrew-prayers","tag-jewish-community","tag-jewish-congregants","tag-jewish-customs","tag-jewish-death-customs","tag-jewish-death-rituals","tag-jewish-mourning-period","tag-jewish-rituals","tag-jewish-stones-meaning","tag-judaism","tag-mourners-kaddish","tag-mourning-in-judaism","tag-national-day-of-mourning-australia","tag-news","tag-prime-minister-anthony-albanese","tag-rabbi-jacqueline-ninio","tag-sheloshim","tag-shiva","tag-star-of-david","tag-why-do-jewish-people-have-stones-at-graves","tag-why-do-jewish-people-sit-shiva","tag-woollahra-synagogue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}