"We are not going anywhere": Maidenhead rabbi's message of hope after Sydney attack

The rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue has called for unity and peace amid the sadness and anger rippling out from the attack in Australia.

Yesterday, (December 14) a father and son killed at least 15 people in a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, Sydney.

Talking about how he and the community were coping with the news, René Pfertzel of Maidenhead Synagogue said: “It’s a very complex set of emotions. Again, it’s a massacre at a Jewish festival, so there’s a repetition of the same pattern.

“The rabbi that was killed was actually born in London. It’s terrible – [the gunmen] killed a kid and a Holocaust survivor.

“Yesterday, I saw on social media someone saying, ‘I’m really grateful for your sympathy and your expression of your sadness, but I also want to hear your anger and your outrage.’ And that’s how I feel today.

“It is counterproductive what they’re doing. Killing Jews in Australia won’t solve the problem in the Middle East – it’s not going to change anything there. So yes, to be honest, I’m angry.”

Nonetheless, Jewish people have found a way to rally and find strength.

“[The attackers] won’t succeed, and they won’t instil fear in us,” the rabbi said. “Historically speaking, we went through worse, and we’re still here. We are not going anywhere.”

The attack has also allowed the wider community to come together amid their sadness, with Maidenhead Synagogue sending a message of condolence to Sydney, and also receiving support locally.

“We were very overwhelmed by all the messages from the community and neighbours – people we’d never met. We got flowers and emails and cards,” Rabbi René said.

“There is a rabbinic teaching that says if you touch one person, you touch the entirety of humanity. [This] is not ending with Jews.

“We don’t want to import a conflict that happens 3,000 kilometres away. We live peacefully together, and we want to carry on like that.”

Thames Valley Police said it is carrying out ‘dedicated patrols’ of synagogues and other Jewish venues on its patch after the news of the attacks.