Communities across regional New South Wales came together in the days following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack to honour the 15 victims killed in the horrific shooting on December 14, 2025.

The town of Hay held a Bondi Memorial Service on Tuesday, December 16, at 7.30pm at Duck Pond, Pine/Morgan Street, organised by Father Paul Newton. Speaking about the tragedy, Father Newton said the fact that people who were "treasures in the eyes of God, people who deserve to be loved and to live and to be safe, were subject to unspeakable tragedy" had made him "sick and unsettled to the core."

The memorial service provided local residents with an opportunity to come together in solidarity with the victims and Australia's Jewish community.

In Wagga Wagga, a community candlelight vigil was held at 6pm on Thursday, December 18, at Victory Memorial Gardens. The event was organised by Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack, in conjunction with State Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr and Wagga Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout.

Mr McCormack said the vigil was a sign of respect for the attack victims and to the Australian Jewish community. "We will be holding a community candlelight vigil on behalf of the city, on behalf of the council, on behalf of the community, to stand together with our friends from Jewish Australia, with our friends who are shocked right across the nation," he said.

Mayor Tout emphasised the importance of hosting a vigil even though many people in the community were scared and distraught. "This is what we do when events like this happen: we stand up with others and say no to any of these sorts of events," he said.

"We will not stand for this in this community or any other community, because if you do not take any action or do not stand up as a community and contemplate what has happened and say no to these sorts of evil acts, that's when there's an opening for those sorts of things to possibly happen."

The federal and NSW governments declared Sunday, December 21, as a national Day of Reflection to honour the victims of the terrorist attack and to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. People across the country, including regional NSW, were invited to light a candle at 6.47pm, exactly one week since the attack unfolded, as a quiet act of remembrance with family, friends or loved ones.

Australians were also asked to observe a minute of silence at 6.47pm, and flags on Australian and NSW government buildings were flown at half mast as a mark of respect for the lives lost.

The attack at Bondi Beach on the first night of Hanukkah was Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. Fifteen people were killed when two gunmen, a father and son allegedly inspired by Islamic State ideology, opened fire on a peaceful Jewish celebration. Another 42 people were injured in the attack.

Among those killed were 10-year-old Matilda, elderly Holocaust survivors Alexander Kleytman and Marika Pogany, and rabbis Yaakov Levitan and Eli Schlanger.