In Sydney, as part of the "Day of Reflection" jointly decreed by the federal and New South Wales state governments, a commemoration was held to honor the victims of the terrorist attack on Bondi Beach and to express solidarity with the Jewish community. As part of the official protocol, flags on all government buildings flew at half-mast for the entire day. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined the ceremonies on the coast, defining the tribute as "sixty seconds snatched from the noise of daily life, dedicated to the fifteen Australians who should be with us today." The leader urged the population to "take this moment of pause to reflect and affirm that hate and violence will never define us as Australians." This Sunday in Sydney, fifteen lost lives and a deafening silence marked the day, when thousands of people gathered to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack carried out exactly a week earlier. In a climate of deep sorrow, citizens lit candles and observed a minute of silence at 18:47, the exact time the first reports of the shooting that shook the country's most iconic beach during the Hanukkah celebrations began to circulate. Authorities confirmed that the attack, carried out by two men who fired into the crowd, was likely "motivated by the ideology" of the Islamic State group, becoming one of the bloodiest episodes in the nation's history.
