The Brooklyn Nets paid tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre in a Hanukkah celebration at the Barclays Center during Thursday night’s game against the Miami Heat.
Nets, CTeen Organized Hanukkah Ceremony
As part of the event, an enormous basketball menorah was lit during the game by the 14-year-old nephew of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the Sydney mass shooting last week.
The ceremony was organized by the Nets and CTeen, the world’s largest Jewish teen organization, as well as Rabbi Mendy Hecht of Chabad Prospect Heights.
“Nets fans, tonight as we celebrate the Jewish festival of light, we ask you to help us mourn the lives of those lost in the senseless attack that took place at the Bondi Beach Hanukkah festival in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday,” the Barclays announcer told the crowd.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the victims, their families and friends, and the worldwide community.”
Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky Visited Victims’ Families
Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky of Chabad World Headquarters told Fox News Digital that he would have attended the menorah lighting, but instead went to Australia to be with the victims’ families.
“I think that it is really, really incredible to see America in its whole glory, where it stands for what we believe in. And we celebrate our ideals and our traditions, and our holidays, and it’s supported by the Nets, which is an incredible franchise,” Kotlarsky said.
“To be able to recognize and give a voice to many teens who might not be in a Jewish school or might not be in a Jewish (ChaBad), to celebrate their heritage proudly is one of the things that makes America great.
“One of the things that makes sports, the tool and the vessel that it is, to cross the aisles and empower young people to be proud of who they are.”
The Nets have two Jewish players on their team, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf.
At least 16 people were killed in the Bondi Beach shooting, including one of the gunmen, while at least 40 others were injured. The terrorist attack is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur attack in April 1996.
