From Bondi Beach to Camden Town: Chabad refuses to dim the lights

Just days after a Chabad-run Chanukah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney ended in massacre – with Chabad rabbi Eli Shlanger among those killed – another Chabad menorah was lit, this time in Camden Town, north London. The parallel was impossible to ignore.

In Bondi, Rabbi Shlanger had been doing what Chabad rabbis across the world do every day: organising Jewish life, bringing people together and making Judaism visible. He was not a politician or a soldier, but a community rabbi — one of countless shluchim who quietly put themselves on the line for other Jews. In Camden, that same ethos guided an evening hosted by Rabbi Beitz and his family at the Chabad Centre in Camden Town: Jewish light would not be dimmed, even after terror.

The event centred on testimony from Nova music festival survivors and best friends Shir Zohar and Ester Borochov, and opened with the lighting of the menorah. Shir and Ester lit the candles alongside Rabbi Beitz as the room filled with song, led by the rabbi – voices rising together in defiance and solidarity. It was not a quiet moment, but a powerful one.

Rabbi Beitz spoke about perseverance and the danger of shrinking Jewish life out of fear. He referenced Rabbi Eli Shlanger by name, explaining that he had known him personally and met him repeatedly at Chabad conferences over the years. The loss, he said, was not abstract but deeply personal — a reminder that Chabad rabbis everywhere are ordinary people who repeatedly place themselves in harm’s way so others can feel safe and connected.

Shir then shared her story. As terrorists stormed the Nova festival on October 7, she and Ester fled on foot and, in the chaos, were helped by a stranger –  Ori Arad, a 22-year-old bartender working at the festival. Ori gave them shelter and water and attempted to drive them to safety in his jeep. After hitting two terrorists with the vehicle, he was shot and the car flipped into a ditch. Ori was murdered. Shir and Ester survived by hiding inside the car – a rescue made possible by Ori’s selflessness, which ultimately cost him his life.

The two women described Ori as an angel. Since his death, they have become close to his family and regularly spend Shabbat with them. Shir has since spearheaded Or to Ori (“Light for Ori”), a non-profit initiative established in his memory to honour his courage and continue his legacy through acts of kindness and support for underprivileged children in Israel.

Miraculously, Shir and Ester were not seen by the terrorists. Ester had broken her back, though she did not yet realise it. For hours, they lay motionless, eyes closed, playing dead, listening to the sounds of rape and murder around them. Shir said her greatest fear was being kidnapped to Gaza, a fate suffered by the man in the car beside them.

Once irreligious, Shir described feeling God’s presence in the car. She prayed for a sign — whether she was meant to live or die — and moments later nearby bushes caught fire. She took it as her sign to escape. Like many Israelis since October 7, she has since become more observant.

Throughout the evening, guests were served homemade latkes and hot soup prepared by the rebbetzin, offering warmth, nourishment and a sense of community as the testimony unfolded.

At the end of the evening, Shir and Ester took questions from the audience. Asked whether they ever face hostility after sharing their story, they answered candidly. They have been accused of spreading propaganda and even called “baby killers”. Still, they continue to speak.

From Bondi Beach to Camden Town, the message was the same: Chabad will keep lighting the menorah. Ordinary people will keep showing up. And Jewish light will not be extinguished, nor survivors silenced.