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article <\/p>\n article <\/p>\n
DALLAS – A mass shooting at a Hanukkah festival in Sydney felt painfully close to home for North Texas\u2019 Jewish community after a Dallas rabbi learned one of the victims was a relative, casting a shadow over local celebrations on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Worshippers gathered in North Dallas to light the first candle of Hanukkah, dancing and praying beneath a menorah as armed security stood guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The violence overseas, which left at least 15 people dead, and more than three dozen hospitalized, added weight to a holiday centered on bringing light into darkness.<\/p>\n
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Connection to a global tragedy <\/p>\n
Local perspective:<\/p>\n
Rabbi Mendel Dubrawsky of Chabad of Dallas said the shooting became deeply personal upon learning that one of the young men killed was the son of his cousin.<\/p>\n
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“Our hearts go out,” Dubrawsky said. “The young man whose life was snuffed away, his mom, is my cousin. So it\u2019s very personal.”<\/p>\n
Dubrawsky said security is essential but should never diminish the community\u2019s commitment to practicing its faith publicly.<\/p>\n
“We don\u2019t rely on miracles,” he said. “There are people who hate it. But we want the world to see the light.”<\/p>\n
What they’re saying:<\/p>\n
As families gathered Sunday, armed officers monitored the crowd, a sight leaders say has become commonplace at local synagogues and Jewish events.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s something we\u2019re dealing with on a daily basis. You\u2019re going to be walking past security officers. Gates have been built at more than one synagogue here in Dallas in the last two years,” said Joel Schwitzer, regional director of the American Jewish Committee.<\/p>\n
“Anytime one of these attacks happens to the Jewish community, no matter where it is in the world, we feel it here.”<\/p>\n
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Heroism amid violence <\/p>\n
Dig deeper:<\/p>\n
Both Dubrawsky and Schwitzer expressed gratitude for a bystander in Sydney who tackled one of the attackers and pulled a gun from his hands.<\/p>\n
“Oh, what a hero,” Dubrawsky said. “What a selfless person. It\u2019s absolutely incredible.”<\/p>\n
Schwitzer said he hopes the man\u2019s bravery receives more attention than the attackers themselves.<\/p>\n
“There needs to be more people amplifying the story of the Muslim man who saved lives,” he said.<\/p>\n
Light in darkness ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/p-vania-australia-shooting-reax_00.02.41.34.jpg\")
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What’s next:<\/p>\n
Despite the grief and heightened security, the community focused on the message of Hanukkah: that light perseveres.<\/p>\n
“If you would ask the rabbis whose lives were taken what we should do,” Dubrawsky said, “they would say that if there\u2019s ever a time we celebrate light, it\u2019s when there is darkness.”<\/p>\n
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Vania Castillo.<\/p>\n
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