Nearly 600 elected officials from more than 40 countries — including ones from Kansas and Greater Kansas City — have signed a letter expressing solidarity with Waverley Council Mayor Will Nemesh following the antisemitic terror attack at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, one of the council’s 12 localities.
“The deliberate targeting of Jews during a moment of prayer, celebration and spiritual meaning was not random,” the letter states. “It was an attack on Jewish identity, on memory and on the values that bind our democratic societies together. Such violence must be named for what it is: pure and simple antisemitism.”
Organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), the letter was issued in the aftermath of the Dec. 14 terror attack, when gunmen opened fire on members of the Jewish community gathered to mark the first night of Hanukkah. Fifteen people were killed and dozens more wounded in the assault.
Signatories to the letter include national legislators, mayors, council members and other local elected officials from cities and parliaments across North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Kansan and Greater Kansas Citian leaders who signed include Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas; Kansas State Representatives Jason Goetz, Nick Hoheisel, Susan Humphries, Dan Osman (who is Jewish), Mari-Lynn Poskin, Pat Proctor and Carl Turner; and Hutchinson, Kansas, City Councilmember Greg Fast.
“As elected leaders from around the world, we see firsthand that antisemitism is not an abstract threat,” the letter continues. “We see how it manifests in our streets, our schools, our communities and online, and how quickly intimidation can escalate into violence when it is tolerated, minimized or excused.”
The officials emphasized that cities are often on the front lines of combating Jew-hatred, but stressed that “governments at every level must fully assume their responsibility to protect Jewish communities, confront antisemitism decisively, and ensure that those who incite or commit hatred face real consequences.”
Addressing Nemesh directly, the coalition expressed support for his leadership in the aftermath of the attack and extended solidarity with the Jewish community of Sydney and Australia more broadly.
“Mayor Nemesh, we stand firmly with you as you lead your community through this moment of tragedy and horror,” the letter reads. “You are not alone.”
The letter concluded with condolences to the families of the victims and wishes for healing and resilience, reaffirming the coalition’s commitment to confront Antisemitism “wherever and whenever it appears.”
Additional reporting provided by The Chronicle.
