Malcolm Turnbull. Image by Getty Images

Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull participated in the Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony at Sydney’s Central Synagogue.

Turnbull lit the shamash and held it during the blessings, passing it to Cantor Shimon Farkas to light the eight candles on Sunday night.

The prime minister spoke to over 500 members of Sydney’s Central Synagogue community about the threat of terrorism and of how information technology would be the next boom in Australia saying the coming boom “is based on a path that Israel has trodden for us and set such a great example.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Turnbull said that the message of Hanukkah was not only a Jewish message but “one for the whole world.”

Speaking of the terrorism threat facing the world, Turnbull said: “We stand up to this threat not wringing our hands, not frightened…because that’s what the terrorists want us to be. They want us to change the way we live. They want us to change our values. They want us to turn on each other. They want the majority of the population to turn on the Muslim community in Australia. We should do none of that. We have to remain a strong, united, multicultural society standing up for our values. Strength and courage will overwhelm the fear that these terrorists try to inspire in us. We are too strong for them and we will always be too strong for them.”

Following his address, Turnbull joined a group of children to play with dreidles.

The Central Synagogue’s spiritual leader Rabbi Levi Wolff told JTA: “He scored a few gimmes.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount