In the wake of a tragic mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration that claimed 15 lives and left many injured, Bondi Beach witnessed a gathering of thousands as it reopened to the public.

The event began with attendees standing closely together on the sandy shore before forming a vast circle in the ocean. This powerful gesture was meant to show unity among Sydney’s residents and express their support for the Jewish community, as reported by The Associated Press.

On Thursday, police reopened sections of Bondi Beach, just five days after the devastating attack. Amid rising concerns about the safety of the Jewish community and potential retaliatory actions against Muslims, armed police were deployed to guard synagogues and mosques in Sydney on Friday, according to the AP.

A special ceremony took place at Bondi Beach, where surfers participated in a paddle-out—a tribute event typically held when a surfer passes away, featuring participants on boards making tributes, splashing, and cheering. The large gathering witnessed Jewish prayers on the beach, while many others came to observe the poignant moment, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Surfers and swimmers ventured into the ocean as a tribute following the tragic events of Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Friday, December 19, 2025. (Steve Markham, File/AP Photo)

The attack has spurred a sense of unity, particularly as stories about heroes of the day come to light, such as that of Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syria-born Australian Muslim store owner, who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen. Al Ahmed was shot and wounded by the other assailant.

In a video posted on social media, al Ahmed said Australia is “the best country in the world” before raising his fist and chanting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,” according to the AP.

Following the tragedy, Australians showed their unity by setting a national record for blood donations, the AP reported. Nearly 35,000 donations were made and more than 100,000 appointments booked since Monday, according to the AP, which cited Lifeblood, a branch of the Australian Red Cross.

People visit a floral tribute outside the Bondi Pavilion following Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)

The iconic footbridge at Bondi Beach where the shooters were seen carrying out the attack has become a place for tributes to the victims. Beside a chalk drawing of a menorah and an Australian flag, is a drawing of a bumblebee, a symbol memorializing the youngest victim of the attack, 10-year-old Matilda.

Australian Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the site and walked across the footbridge.

“I wasn’t prepared for the feelings that hit me when I crossed the bridge,” Ley told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I saw that bridge on television the night that it happened, and like all Australians, I was in shock and horror.”

“Then I heard directly from people who sheltered under that bridge and saw the gunmen, and will never be able to walk through this part of Bondi again without all of those feelings coming back,” she added.

People walk past a memorial drawn on the wall of a walking bridge as a tribute following Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)

Australian Olympians Jessica Fox, Ian Thorpe and Steve Solomon, along with other athletes, visited the memorial and laid flowers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“Moments like this, coming in together, connecting, vowing for change, vowing for improvements and prosperity as a community and a country, is what gives us hope to put on the uniform as we have today,” Solomon, who is Jewish, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Fox, who is also Jewish, became emotional at the site and said, “It shouldn’t take a tragedy to bring people together.”