The darkness has not overcome the light

January 2026

After the tragedy of the shooting at Bondi Beach, Daniel Zeunert met a group of young Israelis who had been in Sydney on the day of the attack, as he reports. 

Given that it was Hanukkah, I wanted something appropriate written on the whiteboards that sit alongside my book table. On that day, I wrote, ‘The light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ Next to it I placed a picture of a Hanukkiah. 

A young Israeli man approached the table after seeing the picture and some Hebrew writing on the sign and began a conversation with my colleague. There were two other Israelis with him, a young man and woman, who both appeared standoffish. 

After I engaged the young man in conversation, the woman came forward as well and we began talking. 

She told me how she was in Bondi on Sunday, only 2km away from the shooting. She was planning to attend the Hanukkah event where the shooting took place, but for some reason decided to go somewhere else for a while. 

The day after the shooting, she wanted to get out of Sydney and made an impromptu trip to Melbourne, which eventually led her to our evangelistic book table. During our lengthy conversation, I did my best to show love and support for them and explained that this is ultimately a spiritual battle. 

Please pray for Australia’s Jewish community as they grieve and for our missionaries in Sydney and Melbourne as they continue to bring the message of peace and hope in Jesus.