They Murdered the Candyman

In every shul (synagogue), there is a candy man. The candy man is usually an old man who gets tremendous joy in handing out candies to young children. When they see him, they come running. Hands held out, eyes excited and the greatest smiles ever when into their hands, the candy man places some candy. 

 Tibor Weitzen was the candy man of the Chabad Shul in Bondi and he and his family joined the celebration yesterday honoring the first day and the first candle of Hanuka. Tibor was 78-years-old. The much loved father, grandfather and even great-grandfather and he died yesterday. 

No, he was murdered yesterday in cold blood as he tried to protect his wife from harm. You see, two madmen believed they had a right to murder Tibor because he was Jewish. 

 And so with the guns they legally owned according to Australian law, they came to the Bondi beach determined to murder as many Jews as they could.

Ironically, Tibor left Israel in 1988 to live in Australia. Interviewed by various news channels, his granddaughter, Lior said Tibor "only saw the best in people and will be dearly missed."

What else do we know about Tibor? Little or nothing. But it takes a special person to be the candy man. It shows he was a man of patience, a man of love. A man dedicated to the future, a man who loved children.

He was murdered not because of anything that he did but because of who he was. In that moment when the gunfire started, he shielded his wife and saved her life.

What does it say about a culture that celebrates the death of a candy man? And ultimately, who is responsible?

In the wise words of Hillel Fuld:

There is one thing though that we have to internalize and it’s extremely hard to accept.

This didn’t happen in a vacuum.

The terrorists weren’t the only ones who pulled those triggers.

Albanese pulled the trigger too.

Starmer pulled the trigger.

Mamdani pulled the trigger.

Carney pulled the trigger.

The BBC and CNN, they pulled the trigger too.

Iran pulled the trigger. Qatar pulled the trigger.

The UN pulled the trigger and Amnesty pulled the trigger.

The ICJ pulled the trigger and South Africa pulled the trigger.

Sky News pulled the trigger and the Guardian pulled the trigger.

Candace pulled the trigger and Tucker pulled the trigger.

All of these people, and many others, they have blood on their hands.