Penny Wong expressed her gratitude to Secretary Rubio for his condolences and his show of solidarity with both Australia and its Jewish community. She also conveyed appreciation for the American people’s support.

“Antisemitism, violence, and terrorism have no place in our country,” Wong asserted. “We are committed to eliminating these threats.”

The United States received a briefing on the ongoing investigation and expressed their support for both Australia and the Australian Jewish community during this challenging time.

According to the U.S. account of the conversation:

“The United States ardently condemns the vicious terrorist attack in Australia that targeted a Hanukkah event organized by Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi. As Prime Minister Albanese emphasized, this was ‘an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism.’”

“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and with the Australian people as we pray for the victims and their families. We are grateful to Australian first responders and bystanders for their heroic response.

“As Jews around the world light Hanukkah candles tonight, they commemorate the triumph of light over darkness and the long history of Jewish resilience in the face of oppression. No community should have to fear publicly celebrating their faith and traditions due to the threat of extremist violence and terror. There can be no compromise with antisemitism — this scourge must be confronted and defeated.”

— Anna Henderson, SBS News chief political correspondent