In the wake of the terrorist attack on Jews in Sydney, Australia, Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke on Wednesday with Pope Leo XIV about the rise of global antisemitism.
The president tweeted that during their phone call, he expressed the “urgent need to combat all forms of this hatred.”
The call was made in light of the upcoming Christmas holiday.
Herzog extended his warm wishes to the pontiff and Christian communities around the world, stressing Israel’s “important relationship with the Holy See and Christians around the world.”
The president said he took “tremendous pride in Israel’s Christian communities, whose leaders will gather for an annual festive meeting at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in the coming weeks.
“We both expressed hope for peace and a brighter future for the world following the New Year,” Israel’s head of state noted.
I extended my warmest wishes to @Pontifex Pope Leo XIV and Christian communities around the world for the upcoming Christmas holiday.
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) December 17, 2025
During our call today, we discussed the alarming rise in global antisemitism, including the devastating terror attack against the Jewish… pic.twitter.com/mXyaA1bHgm
On Monday, the pope called for prayers for the victims of Sydney massacre, writing in a post on X that the slain and wounded should be “entrusted to the Lord.”
Fifteen people were murdered and more than 40 wounded in the terrorist shooting at Sydney’s popular Bondi Beach.
