Guildford Hanukkah Celebration Overshadowed By News of Terror Attack

Published on: 14 Dec, 2025
Updated on: 16 Dec, 2025

A Hanuka Menorah

What was intended to be a joyful celebration of Hanukkah by Guildford’s Jewish community, for the first time in the Guildhall, was overshadowed by the news of the terror attack in Sydney, Australia, in which two gunman killed 15 people, aged between 10 and 87, at a Hanukkah event by Bondi beach.

Forty two others were injured, some seriously.

This evening Rabbi Alex Goldberg who presided at the service in the Guildhall, told The Dragon NEWS:

Tonight, over 100 members of the Jewish community gathered in Guildford’s Guildhall to celebrate Chanukah, lighting our giant menorah, which will remain illuminated throughout the eight nights of the festival. It was a public affirmation of religious freedom and the right to live, gather, and celebrate openly and without fear.

We did so with heavy hearts. Earlier today, the horrific shooting at a Chanukah celebration in Bondi, Sydney, shocked us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were murdered, the injured, their families, and the wider Australian Jewish community. Their pain was very present with us as we kindled the lights.

And yet, we also stood together with resilience and quiet determination. The menorah lit in Guildford stands as a symbol of pluralism and religious liberty in a town with a long and proud history of both. Chanukah itself is a festival of religious freedom — a reminder that no single belief should be imposed by force, and that the right to conscience matters. Guildford has repeatedly been a place of refuge: welcoming Jews fleeing persecution, hosting the Bohemian International Society during the war as a sanctuary for refugee artists, musicians, writers, and intellectuals, and opening its doors to children of the Kindertransport—saving lives and shaping futures.

This evening, our Chanukiah shines in the heart of the town, blending into Guildford’s Christmas celebrations and lights. Together, they send a powerful and deeply moving message: that we coexist; that we live together; and that people of all faiths—and of none—are free to mark their beliefs openly, peacefully, and with dignity.

Celebrating Hanukkah at the Guildhall were, on the left, Guildford Borough Council CEO Pedro Wrobel, next Zoe Franklin MP, Rabbi Alex Goldberg, his wife Silke Goldberg, and on the right, Council Leader Julia McShane

We were honoured to be joined by Howard, the Mayor of Guildford; Julia, the Leader of the Council; and Zoe, our local Member of Parliament. Their presence reflected a shared civic commitment to community cohesion, democratic values, a free and responsible press, and the protection of religious and cultural expression in public life.

Chanukah teaches us that light is kindled דווקא מתוך החשכה—precisely from within darkness.

Today there were those who sought to frighten and divide. Tonight, we responded together: we lit the lights, we ate doughnuts, we sang songs, and we affirmed that fear will not define us. Love, pluralism, and respect are at the heart of this season — whatever your faith or belief.

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