FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 14, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Gavin, West End Strategy Team
hgavin@westendstrategy.com; 202-765-4290
WASHINGTON – Following the deadly attack at a Jewish celebration for Hanukkah in Sydney, Australia, leaders from Faith in Action, a global faith-based grassroots organizing network, are speaking out against this violent assault against communities of faith with a call for peace and unity.
Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of Faith in Action, expressed his deepest sympathies for the victims targeted during a religious celebration:
“Our hearts are heavy as we grieve for our Jewish siblings killed in the deadly shooting in Sydney, Australia. Faith leaders everywhere must condemn the targeting of people for how and who they worship, especially when those individuals are gathered for prayer. I will continue to pray for the victims and their families, for an end to this senseless violence and for a day when all God’s children live in peace.”
The Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, political director of Faith in Action, also shared a call to stand up against hate-fueled violence:
“Now, more than ever, it is crucial for people of faith, and all those who value humanity, to come together in solidarity. We must find the courage to stand united, reaffirming that we are one human family, bound by love, respect, and a shared commitment to justice. These tragedies from Australia to Brown University here in the United States are not just a call to mourn, but a call to act by rejecting violence and hate in all their forms and reaffirming our shared responsibility for one another’s well-being.
“Let this moment be a turning point. A moment to recommit to love, to justice, and to the sacred bond that ties us all together. We cannot continue to be divided by violence and polarization.”
The Rev. Deth Im, director of faith leadership strategies at Faith in Action, echoed their calls for unity:
“The only things stronger than the evil, corrosive forces of hate and violence are our sense of hope and our resolve to stand together as we rise above the rhetoric of exclusion made in the name of faith. The deadly attack on the Jewish community in Australia must be met with a united front of love, justice and solidarity. Ending the scourge of hate and violence requires all of us, for we are all connected and, in the words of Dr. King, ‘tied in a single garment of destiny.’ I urge all people of faith and goodwill to join us in confronting the evils of antisemitism and hate. We are better than this. Now it’s time to demonstrate it.”
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Faith in Action is the largest grassroots, faith-based organizing network in the United States. The nonpartisan organization works with 1,000 religious congregations in more than 200 cities and towns through its 46 local and state federations. For more information, visit www.faithinaction.org.
Faith in Action is a 501c(3). Faith in Action and its affiliates are non-partisan and are not aligned explicitly or implicitly with any candidate or party. We do not endorse or support candidates for office.
