Menorah Placed Quietly at Sydney Terror Site; Rabbi Speaks With Grieving Father

The echoes of Monday’s terror attack in Sydney, Australia, continue to be felt in the city and beyond as people continue to try to make sense of the 16-hour siege in which two local residents and a gunman were killed.

A large square in the city’s central business district, Martin Place was to have been the site of a “Chanukah in the City” public menorah-lighting celebration on Thursday night; a giant menorah has been lit there for last 30 years. However, after discussions with community leaders and local authorities, organizers of the program canceled the Dec. 18 program, though the 32-foot menorah was still placed in the square.

In a statement, Rabbi Elimelech Levy, director of Chabad Youth NSW and coordinator of the annual celebration, said: “Whilst the event was canceled, the presence of the giant menorah sends a powerful message that light will always overcome darkness.

“As we mourn the loss of life and the atrocity that has taken place,” the rabbi went on to say, “people of goodwill will continue to shine the light of freedom and communal harmony, which is what the Chanukah menorah is all about.”

Levy added that a sign was placed by the menorah that reads: “The Jewish community of Australia expresses our deepest sympathy for the families of the Martin Place tragedy. May the lights of the festival of Chanukah bring comfort and warmth to our nation.”

Encouraging people to spread kindness and to focus on what unites people of all backgrounds and religions was the message that Ken Johnson was hoping to get out when he invited religious leaders of various faiths, including Rabbi Levi Wolff—chief minister and spiritual head of Sydney’s Central Synagogue and a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary—to join him in Martin Place.

The menorah at Martin Place on the third night, with a sign that reads, in part: "May the lights of the festival of Chanukah bring comfort and warmth to our nation."

Johnson’s 34-year-old son Tori, the manager of the cafe, was killed in the attack when he tried to get the gun away from the hostage-taker. Also killed was Katrina Dawson, 38, an attorney and mother of three.

‘Moved and Inspired’

The rabbi said he was “moved and inspired” by his meeting with Johnson.

“Sometimes, you go somewhere with the intention of strengthening the other person, and you walk away strengthened by how they are behaving and acting,” which is what happened here, said Wolff. “[Ken Johnson] is just remarkable. He really wants to take this moment and not it allow it to pass” without getting out his message that people have more in common than they have differences.

Wolff—who visited the square just hours after the siege ended Tuesday morning, and who has come again several times, including with his wife, Chanie—explained that Martin Place has become a “massive” memorial, attracting thousands of people who are coming to bring flowers, pray and reflect.

The rabbi said he spoke with Johnson about his son and gave him a yahrtzeit candle, explaining that in Jewish liturgy, the soul is referred to as a candle. Further, he said that Chassidic thought notes that a candle’s nature is always to go upward—just like the soul, which is always looking to achieve higher levels.”

“Tori’s candle,” Wolff added, “has lit up the entire country.”

Rabbi Levi Wolff, chief minister and spiritual head of Sydney’s Central Synagogue, spoke with Ken Johnson, father of Tori Johnson, manager of the cafe and one of two civilians killed in Monday's attack. (Photo: JWire)