As more than 2 billion Christians around the world celebrate the holiday of Christmas and billions more celebrate their own winter holidays, extremist rhetoric and violent attacks have caused heightened security, canceled events and increased tension across communities. These incidents raised broader questions about how societies respond when extremism is normalized. At the same time, several public responses suggested that light can still shine through the darkness.
Amid the joyful holiday celebrations held worldwide, heightened security with concrete barriers and armed patrols became routine features. In response to the recent mass shooting in Australia on the first night of Chanukah, Christians and representatives of other religions expressed their strong support for the Jewish community.
Following the massacre, where father-and-son Islamist terrorists murdered 15 Jews on Bondi Beach at a Chanukah celebration, condemnations poured in from around the world. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “strongly condemned the ghastly terrorist attack.” The United Arab Emirates “condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that occurred at a Jewish gathering.”
“The cowardly terrorists who massacred innocent people celebrating Chanukah in Bondi deserve nothing but contempt and swift justice. Their hatred will never break the Jewish community. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Australian Jews, forever,” stated the Imam of Peace, Australian Mohammad Tawhidi, of the Global Imams Council.
The imam no longer lives in Australia because of death threats from Islamist extremists and a lack of what he felt was sufficient protection within the country.
The deadly terror attack in Australia was broadly condemned by a host of unlikely voices, including the World Council of Churches, which expressed its “solidarity to all our Jewish sisters and brothers threatened by antisemitic hatred and violence.” The council has a long history of inflammatory comments regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani denounced the “vile act of antisemitic terror.”
Community response: Choosing visibility over fear
Acts of solidarity emerged in Australia alongside continued hostility. A Jewish celebrity chef announced the closure of his bagel shop after “two years of constant anti-Jewish harassment,” prompting local residents to plaster his storefront with hundreds of handwritten notes of support. The Muslim hero who disarmed one of the terrorists received a $2.5 million check from donations in recognition of his actions, even as he was branded a “traitor” across parts of the Arab world.
Despite continuing attacks, Jewish life remains visible. Thousands of Australians gathered together to mourn the victims. Jewish college students danced openly in the middle of Denver International Airport, proclaiming, “We will not be scared or give in to the darkness. We will only add more and more light.”
In India, Chanukah was marked “not with fear, but in belonging, a festival of lights worth celebrating.” And in Iceland, Chanukah became a rare opportunity for the country’s small Jewish community to come together publicly. Chabad Rabbi Avraham Feldman said, “Chanukah teaches that when many lights stand together, we overpower the darkness.”
Taken together, these moments reflected a deliberate choice—to gather, mourn and celebrate openly—even amid heightened threats.
Christmas, New Year’s Eve: Extremists disrupting public holidays
The effects of radical Islamic terror threats have extended beyond the Jewish community, affecting other events and public celebrations. In recent years, Christmas markets and New Year’s Eve events across Europe have been canceled, scaled back or placed under heavy security.
In September, the Islamic State publication al-Naba called on “monotheistic Muslims to kill by all means Christians and Jews in France.” Islamist attacks were prevented in Germany and Poland. Heightened security concerns caused the cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Paris, Belgrade and even Tokyo, with increased police and counter-terrorism measures in Australia and Germany.
Recently, the FBI arrested five members of a radical left-wing pro-Palestinian group plotting New Year’s Eve bombings against multiple businesses in Southern California, the same group that helped organize the recent violent protest at a Los Angeles synagogue. The FBI and Homeland Security cite New York City as an “aspirational target” and the annual Times Square dropping of the celebratory ball as “an opportunity for obstruction and violence.”
Changing Ideologies: Political movements face a defining moment
Recent divisions within the conservative movement were on display at Turning Point USA’s annual conference. This Christian organization, which advocates for conservative policies on high school and university campuses, was rocked to the core when its co-founder, Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated while speaking to young people in Utah in September.
Leading commentators presented competing visions of the movement’s future. Conservative media figure Ben Shapiro warned of “danger from frauds and grifters who support conspiracy theories and dishonesty, undermining conservative principles.” He criticized former Fox News host and current podcaster Tucker Carlson, and his friend, conservative political commentator Megyn Kelly, for refusing to condemn far-right pundit Candace Owens’s conspiracy theories surrounding Kirk’s assassination. Owens has blamed “demonic Zionists.”
Shapiro also criticized Carlson for interviewing Holocaust deniers. Carlson, recently named antisemite of the year, spoke later and found Shapiro’s comments “hilarious.” U.S. Vice President JD Vance recently defended Carlson’s place in the conservative movement.
America: Vigilance remains amid attacks
Violent attacks against American Jews continued during the eight-day holiday of Chanukah in public settings. In New York City, an assailant declared, “I’m going to kill a Jew today,” before stabbing Elias Rosner in the chest. The Jewish man later stated that “I believe in standing up to bullies, and I had the bravery to look him in the eye.” The day before, a man grabbed an Orthodox Jew by the throat on a subway train and threatened to kill him.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams condemned the “hateful behavior as deeply offensive to New Yorkers.”
Attacks against Jewish groups on college campuses continued. A suspect was arrested for a recent arson attack on the San Francisco Hillel at San Francisco State University. A man vandalized the Michigan State University Chabad on consecutive nights, breaking windows and drawing swastikas. The MSU president condemned the attacks, noting that they occurred during Chanukah, “a time centered on light, resilience and faith.”
Three vandalism incidents targeted the Jewish community at California State University in Fresno, prompting its president to attend a menorah-lighting and advising students to reject hate by “building bridges of understanding.”
From incitement to violence: ‘Globalize the intifada’
Violent chants and fanatical views are tied to attacks around the world and show what happens when leaders fail to act. In Australia, the terrorists condemned “Zionists” before their attack on a Chanukah celebration. Conspiracy theories blaming Israel for the massacre spread online, including by Eduardo Martinez, the mayor of Richmond, Calif.
Leaders in Australia and Europe have moved to confront the spread of hateful slogans, including “Globalize the Intifada.” British police recently arrested two people for “racially aggravated offenses” after they “shouted slogans for an intifada.” This prompted anti-Israel activists to adopt different Arabic terms also linked to violence.
Direct threats and intimidation continued in other countries. Canadian police arrested three men for attempting to kidnap Jews and women. In Turkey, a mob harassed Jews heading to a menorah-lighting, shouting: “Zionists, leave this country.” A French court sentenced a nanny for attempting to poison a Jewish family, while dismissing the antisemitism charge despite her statements about “Jewish money and power.”
A U.S.-based anti-Israel organization launched “The Faces of AIPAC” campaign, using the images of board members from the bipartisan American Israel Public Affairs Committee for targeted harassment. The campaign reflects how political hostility toward Israel increasingly spills over into the targeting of Jewish individuals.
Points to consider:
1. Violence during the holidays is exposing the dangers of normalizing violence.
Attacks and threats during Chanukah and Christmas highlight how normalized extremism turns moments of unity into moments of danger. When violence is rationalized, minimized or treated as a legitimate response to political grievances—for example, normalizing anti-Israel rhetoric and false claims—it lays the groundwork for attacks on Jews worldwide. The timing matters: Targeting celebrations and observances is designed to intimidate entire communities, not just individuals. And it threatens public life and the basic expectation of safety for everyone.
2. Public life changes for everyone when threats go unchallenged.
What began with threats against Jews increasingly affects how societies gather, worship and celebrate more broadly. Across countries and faiths, public holidays and religious observances now require heightened security or face cancellation altogether. This shift reflects more than fear; it signals how extremist thought and activity force changes in everyday life. When political, community and religious leaders and organizations fail to confront violent rhetoric early, the consequences affect targeted communities and everyone who relies on shared civic and religious spaces.
3. Extremist rhetoric is no longer fringe but has become mainstream.
Language that once belonged to the political margins on the far left and far right is increasingly circulating in public spaces, media platforms and everyday discourse. Violent slogans and conspiracy theories are often dismissed as provocative speech rather than recognized as warning signs. When this rhetoric is repeated, excused or reframed as activism, it shifts social boundaries around what is acceptable. History shows that mainstreaming extremist language lowers barriers to intimidation and violence with consequences that extend far beyond any single community.
4. Preventing violence requires action before attacks.
Public condemnations after violent attacks are important but they come too late to prevent harm. Time and again, warning signs appear first through incitement, intimidation and calls for violence that go unanswered or are dismissed as rhetoric. Effective prevention requires leaders and organizations to confront dangerous language early, enforce laws consistently and act before threats escalate. Waiting until after blood is shed may signal solidarity, but it does not stop the next attack.
5. Jewish communities are choosing visibility, unity and light.
In the face of violence and intimidation, Jewish communities around the world are responding not by retreating but by showing up. From public menorah-lightings to spontaneous expressions of pride, Jews are choosing visibility over fear. These moments matter because they reject the goals of extremism: isolation, silence and erasure. By gathering openly and standing together, Jews are affirming resilience, shared humanity and the power of light to push through darkness.
