The Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration massacre, Australia’s deadliest terrorist incident, which resulted in 15 dead and 40 wounded, continues to dominate my thoughts. One particular witness account haunts me. A mother, separated from her three-year-old daughter, found some of the few police officers present. She told a journalist: “These police officers were hiding behind a car… I tried to grab one of their guns. Then one of them grabbed me and said ‘no.’”
Here, I see encapsulated diaspora Jews’ present dilemma in the form of a plea and response: Protect us, state law enforcement agent. No? Then allow us the means to protect ourselves. Also, no.
