TO TIGHTEN GUN LAWS IN THE WAKE OF THE VIOLENCE IN AUSTRALIA. JEWISH LEADERS, JEWISH LEADERS RATHER ARE HERE IN FLORIDA, STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY. JADE JARVIS JOINS US NOW LIVE. AND JADE, YOU SPOKE WITH THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE ADL, FLORIDA. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY? YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, SHANE. HE TELLS ME THAT THEY ARE HORRIFIED, SADDENED, BUT NOT NECESSARILY SHOCKED BY THE VIOLENCE IN SYDNEY. WE’VE SEEN. ANTI-SEMITISM RUN AMOK IN AUSTRALIA, IN AROUND THE WORLD, IN THE US AND RIGHT HERE AT HOME. ADL FLORIDA’S DEPUTY DIRECTOR LONNIE WILKS SAYS SPECIFICALLY, THEY’VE SEEN ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS INCREASE BY 500% IN AUSTRALIA OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. AND HE SAYS THEY’VE SEEN A SIMILAR JUMP IN NUMBERS ACROSS THE U.S. AND HERE IN FLORIDA, WE WERE ACTUALLY IN FLORIDA AT RECORD HIGHS EVEN BEFORE OCTOBER 7TH. SO WHEN WE SEE ANTI-SEMITISM RUN AMOK FESTER AT THIS LEVEL, IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT RHETORIC LEADS TO VIOLENCE, HE SAYS. SAFETY AND SECURITY NOW NEEDS TO BE TOP OF MIND FOR JEWISH PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. SUNDAY, CHABAD OF PALM BEACH GARDENS PROCEEDED WITH ITS PUBLIC HANUKKAH FESTIVAL WITH HEIGHTENED SECURITY. WILKES SAYS HAVING THESE CELEBRATIONS STILL IS CRUCIAL. THE RECOMMENDATION FOR ALL COMMUNITY GATHERINGS IS ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS SAFE AND SECURE AS POSSIBLE. ALL IN ALL, JEWISH INSTITUTIONS SHOULD WORK WITH THEIR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND ENSURE THAT ALL SAFETY MEASURES THAT CAN BE TAKEN ARE TAKEN. SUNDAY. CHABAD OF PALM BEACH GARDENS PROCEEDED WITH ITS HANUKKAH FESTIVAL WITH HEIGHTENED SECURITY. WILKES SAYS HAVING THESE CELEBRATIONS STILL IS CRUCIAL IN THE AFTERMATH OF ANY ANTI-SEMITISM, EXTREMISM, BIGOTRY. WE SHOULD NOT BACK AWAY FROM BEING WHO WE ARE. WE SHOULD DOUBLE DOWN. WE SHOULD HOLD FAST TO TO OUR TRADITIONS, TO OUR IDENTITY. AND WILKE SAYS PEOPLE CAN SUPPORT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY BY BY SIMPLY PICKING UP THE PHONE, OFFERING A LISTENING EAR, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHEN THEY SEE INSTANCES OF ANTISEMITISM BY CONTACTING LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THE ADL REPOR
Florida Jewish leaders urge security following antisemitic attack in Australia
Updated: 7:04 PM EST Dec 15, 2025
In the wake of the mass shooting targeting Jewish people on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Jewish leaders in Florida are stressing the importance of safety and security.“We’ve seen anti-Semitism run amok in Australia, around the world, in the U.S. and right here at home,” Lonny Wilk, the deputy director of the Anti-Defamation League Florida, said.Related: 10-year-old girl, Holocaust survivor, French citizen: These are the victims of the Bondi Beach shootingWilk said specifically they’ve seen antisemitic incidents increase by 500% in Australia over the last several years, and he said they’ve seen a similar jump in numbers across the U.S. and in Florida.“We were actually, in Florida, at record highs even before Oct. 7. So, when we see antisemitism run amok fester at this level, it’s no surprise that rhetoric leads to violence,” Wilk said.He said safety and security now needs to be top of mind for Jewish people everywhere.“The recommendation for all community gatherings is absolutely make sure that everything is safe and secure as possible. All in all, Jewish institutions should work with their local law enforcement agencies and ensure that all safety measures that can be taken are taken,” Wilk said.Related: Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens rabbi leads Hanukkah event hours after friend killed in AustraliaOn Sunday, Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens proceeded with its public Hanukkah festival with heightened security.Wilk said still having these celebrations is crucial.“In the aftermath of any anti-Semitism, extremism, bigotry, we should not back away from being who we are. We should double down. We should hold fast to our traditions, to our identity,” Wilk said.Wilk said people can support the Jewish community simply by picking up the phone, offering a listening ear, and by reporting any instance of anti-Semitism they see to law enforcement or the ADL.Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. —
In the wake of the mass shooting targeting Jewish people on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Jewish leaders in Florida are stressing the importance of safety and security.
“We’ve seen anti-Semitism run amok in Australia, around the world, in the U.S. and right here at home,” Lonny Wilk, the deputy director of the Anti-Defamation League Florida, said.
Wilk said specifically they’ve seen antisemitic incidents increase by 500% in Australia over the last several years, and he said they’ve seen a similar jump in numbers across the U.S. and in Florida.
“We were actually, in Florida, at record highs even before Oct. 7. So, when we see antisemitism run amok [and] fester at this level, it’s no surprise that rhetoric leads to violence,” Wilk said.
He said safety and security now needs to be top of mind for Jewish people everywhere.
“The recommendation for all community gatherings is [to] absolutely make sure that everything is safe and secure as possible. All in all, Jewish institutions should work with their local law enforcement agencies and ensure that all safety measures that can be taken are taken,” Wilk said.
Related: Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens rabbi leads Hanukkah event hours after friend killed in Australia
On Sunday, Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens proceeded with its public Hanukkah festival with heightened security.
Wilk said still having these celebrations is crucial.
“In the aftermath of any anti-Semitism, extremism, bigotry, we should not back away from being who we are. We should double down. We should hold fast to our traditions, to our identity,” Wilk said.
Wilk said people can support the Jewish community simply by picking up the phone, offering a listening ear, and by reporting any instance of anti-Semitism they see to law enforcement or the ADL.
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.