His call for Jews to dig deeper into their faith in the face of extreme adversity echoed that of Rabbi Zalman Lewis of Brighton, England, in a Facebook post honoring his slain cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the organizer of the Bondi “Chanukah by the Sea” event.

Australia's Jewish community gathered at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday for prayers, while hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out into the water to honour the 15 victims killed after alleged father-and-son gunmen opened fire at people celebrating Hanukkah.