Tampa Bay’s Jewish community reacts to Sydney attack

As families celebrate the lights and joy of Hannukah , Jewish leaders are grappling with continued threats to practicing their faith safely. Tampa Bay’s Jewish leaders say they are outraged and saddened in the wake of the targeted shooting that killed 15 and injured dozens celebrating the holiday at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday. Rabbi Philip Weintraub, of Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Petersburg, told the Tampa Bay Times that it is more important now than ever to celebrate the holiday.“Even if there is hatred, even if there is violence, even if there is loss, we do not forget that,” Weintraub said. “But we continue to make positive Jewish memories.”Weintraub said that being such a small minority means that events on the other side of the world can impact Jews everywhere.“It’s not six degrees of separation, it’s two degrees of separation,” Weintraub said.Among those killed in Australia was an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. “Imagine going through the Holocaust and then being killed by the same Jew hatred,” said Jeffrey Berger, co-president of the Tampa Jewish Community Centers and Federation. “It’s awful. Our community’s certainly upset by it, but we’re also resilient.”Maxine Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast, said things have been in a “downhill cycle” since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. Earlier this month, Amnesty International issued a report that accused Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups of atrocities on that day and in their treatment of hostages taken to Gaza. Seven years ago, a gunman killed 11 worshipers and wounded six in the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.“It’s awful that people are afraid to be in public, afraid to be publicly Jewish,” Kaufman said. “We’re not going to cower from these attacks. They’re not going to sway us.”According to an Anti-Defamation League survey conducted earlier this year , more than half of Jewish Americans reported experiencing some form of antisemitism in the past year.“Nearly one in five were either the victim of an assault, experienced threat of physical attack, or experienced verbal harassment due to their Jewish identity in the past year, while over one-third witnessed actual or threatened antisemitic violence,” the survey found.While Jewish leaders tout relationships with elected officials and local law enforcement, they acknowledge the reality that safety and vigilance are a part of daily life. Police, for example, were present at multiple locations to monitor this month’s Chase the Dreidel 5K in St. Petersburg.Leaders say the front doors of most churches are unlocked, allowing anyone to come in and have a personal moment of prayer and reflection. History has taught local Jewish leaders that they cannot do the same. “When armed gunmen walk into our houses of worship and kill people for practicing a religion, you have to sit up and take notice,” Berger said.Berger said his organization has had to consistently maintain and increase a security budget every year.At most religious gatherings, “you don’t have to go through metal detectors,” Berger said. “You don’t have security guards at the gates.”Half of those who go to Tampa’s Jewish community center are not Jewish, Berger said. The city runs an art studio there that anyone can attend.“We have an obligation to protect them, too,” Berger said. “We want to make sure everybody feels safe and secure coming to our facility. It’s a challenge.”Expenses spent on security year-round equate to a “Jewish security tax just for the privilege of existing,” Weintraub said.Eric Stillman, president and chief executive officer of The Florida Holocaust Museum, told the Times that attacks like Sunday’s do not happen in a vacuum.“It is a punch in the gut,” Stillman said. “The fact that this occurred, unfortunately, I don’t think is a surprise to anybody. With the ramping up of the rhetoric, the way in which people have become radicalized, it is leading to acts of violence, and in this case killings and death.”Stillman said he is encouraged to see that people of all backgrounds and faiths come to visit the museum. He emphasized that an understanding of history can help to prevent antisemitism.“Holocaust education needs to be provided to people of all ages so that those lessons can be learned and to avoid future atrocities, such as what occurred in Australia,” Stillman said. Despite the day-to-day challenges of practicing their faith, Tampa Bay Jewish leaders have remained optimistic.“We’ll continue to stand together in solidarity and joy,” Berger said. “We need the light to triumph over darkness.”

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