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'Light your menorah and be proudly Jewish'

Louise ParryBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
News imageChabad Lubavitch Bricket Wood A street scene at night with a large menorah , which is the Jewish candelabra, with 9 bulbs on top. The stem and V-shaped prongs are lit up and glowing white. It stands on a black box with the words Chabad Bricket Wood wishes you a Happy Chanukah. Behind it are houses with cars on their driveways. Chabad Lubavitch Bricket Wood
The menorah is the main symbol of Hannukah and is lit every night during the annual festival

A rabbi has urged his community to "stand strong" in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack.

Eliezer Tunk said 200 people went to Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, for a menorah lighting ceremony, which marked the start of the eight-day festival of Hanukkah.

"Sydney would have been one of the first menorah lightings across the world, so it was a horror and shock to us that a brutal massacre took place," he told the BBC.

He told the community in the county to "light your menorah and let your community and friends know you are proud to be a Jew".

News imageChabad Lubavitch Bricket Wood Rabbi Tunk smiles at the camera while standing in front of the white Menorah, which is not yet lit. He wears a black hat and black suit jacket with a blue tie. He has a long full beard and wears glasses. The other Rabbi is clean shaven and wears a skull cap and grey winter coat. He is speaking into a microphone while looking at his phone. People are crowded around behind them.Chabad Lubavitch Bricket Wood
Rabbi Tunk and Rabbi Daniel Sturgess led about 200 people in the outdoor ceremony, including people from other faiths

Rabbi Tunk said his menorah was vandalised in 2024 and the attack "felt very personal".

"Last year, I was woken up to the menorah being destroyed - Once again, we are trying to fight antisemitism," he said.

"We need to stand strong and stay proud of our Judaism, and proud of the freedom to practice our faith."

News imageChabad Lubavitch Bricket Wood A female and male police officer crouch down either side of a boy, all smiling at the camera. He holds a piece of paper with colouring-in, and the hat of one officer. The officers wear high vis neon coats over their black police vests, which have phones and body cams on. Chabad Lubavitch Bricket Wood
Two Hertfordshire Police officers attended the event, pictured with Rabbi Tunk's son

At the event, he said he had received "a very nice email from a non-Jewish resident in the village", who had written before news broke of the Sydney shootings.

Reading an extract, Rabbi Tunk said: "The Jewish community is welcome and should be celebrated here. I hope you hear and feel that support."

Speaking about receiving this message, he added: "I saw this email moments after I heard about the attack, which brought me comfort."

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