Two gunmen opened fire on celebration of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens. The antisemitic attack follows a surge in violence and threats against the country’s Jewish community.
Video of a 43-year-old father of two charging one the shooters and wresting the gun from him went viral, providing the brightest moment on one of Australia’s darkest days. Praised by Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and virtually every Australian leader, Ahmed is in hospital after being hit by two bullets. That Ahmed is a Muslim whose moral and physical courage saved Jewish lives makes him probably the most important of the day’s many heroes.
CW does not pretend that a man who gets hit in the head by a terrorist’s bullet is a winner. The ⬆ is a nod to Ostrovsky’s prescience, optimism and courage. The Israeli human rights lawyer penned an essay in September about his optimism that ordinary Australians could overcome a surge in antisemitism. He moved to Australia to help the Jewish community fight discrimination only to be wounded at Bondi Beach. His bloodied face during defiant TV interviews became one of the day’s enduring images.
The progressive Australian prime minister has a long history as a critic of Israel. Recently, Albanese reversed Australia’s recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, recognized a Palestinian state, and dragged his feet on implementing the recommendations of a report he commissioned on combating antisemitism. Whether or not any of this contributed to the bloodshed at Bondi, it has turned the terrorist attack into a political crisis for Albanese.
New York’s incoming mayor condemned the Bondi attack as “a vile act of antisemitic terror.” But like Albanese, Mamdani is reluctant to make any connection between his vigorously anti-Israeli politics and the fear mounting in Jewish communities around him. Well, Mr Mayor-elect, this is what happens when you “globalize the intifada.”
The hedge fund billionaire was so moved by Ahmed al Ahmed’s courage that he promoted a GoFundMe page for the wounded hero on his X account. The top donation? $99,999 from a William Ackman.
The sweeping crescent of white sand on the edge of sun-kissed Sydney is one of Australia’s most visited tourist sites and the heart of Christmas celebrations each summer. A guide to Christmas at Bondi warned throngs of revellers to arrive early, plan their barbecue spots and pick the best pubs to watch the Boxing Day cricket match. That was before the day Australian Jews were dreading arrived on Bondi Beach.
Originally a staple of Newsweek’s print edition, Conventional Wisdom used arrows to track whose stock was rising or falling in the political circus. We’re reviving it in the digital age because the problem it lampooned — hyperbole and partisan certainty masquerading as insight — has only intensified.
CW assigns arrows — up, down, or sideways — to the figures and forces shaping current events. The arrows don’t predict the future or claim special insight. They capture the prevailing winds of the moment, uncluttered by tribal howling. In an era when partisan media reinforces rather than questions assumptions, CW operates from the center — skeptical of left and right alike, committed to puncturing inflated reputations and recognizing overlooked truths.
