JOHN: NOW TO THE SHOOTING IN AUSTRALIA WHERE THERE HAS BEEN A SPIKE IN ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS.

ALI ROGIN HAS THAT STORY.

ALI: A DEADLY ATTACK ON SYDNEY'S ICONIC BONDI BEACH SENT CROWDS FLEEING FOR SAFETY SUNDAY EVENING.

TWO GUNMEN - A FATHER AND SON ACCORDING TO POLICE OPENED FIRE ON A HANUKKAH CELEBRATION WHERE HUNDREDS HAD GATHERED FOR THE START OF THE EIGHT-DAY JEWISH HOLIDAY.

ONE ALLEGED GUNMAN APPEARED TO BE SHOOTING FROM BEHIND A PALM TREE, WHEN A BYSTANDER CREPT UP ON HIM AND SEIZED THE GUN.

THE SECOND GUNMAN TOOK AIM FROM A FOOTBRIDGE OVER A NEARBY PARKING LOT.

AT LEAST 16 PEOPLE ARE DEAD, INCLUDING THE GUNMAN AND A 12-YEAR-OLD CHILD.

38 OTHERS WERE WOUNDED.

YOUNG AND OLD HAD GATHERED FOR THE HANUKKAH EVENT.

>> I SEE, LIKE, A KID, LIKE SHE WAS LIKE MAYBE 8 YEARS OLD SHE GOT INJURED ON THE LEG.

AND SHE WAS CRYING AND SHE WAS ON THE GROUND, SO SHE WAS BEHIND HER MOM.

HER MOM WAS ON THE GROUND AS WELL.

ALI: FIN GREEN IS A TOURIST FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM.

>> I SAW AN OLDER LADY GET SHOT, I SAW AN OLDER GUY GET SHOT VERY , BADLY INJURED ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AND I JUST SAW A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SCREAMING, RUNNING TOWARDS ME, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

ALI: ONE GUNMAN WAS FATALLY SHOT BY POLICE AND THE SECOND, WHO WAS ARRESTED, IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

ONE OF THE MEN WAS KNOWN TO SECURITY SERVICES.

AUSTRALIAN AUTHORITIES DECLARED IT A TERRORIST ATTACK.

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE -- >> THIS IS A TARGETED ATTACK ON JEWISH AUSTRALIANS ON THE FIRST DAY OF HANUKKAH, WHICH SHOULD BE A DAY OF JOY, A CELEBRATION OF FAITH.

AN ACT OF EVIL, ANTI-SEMITISM, TERRORISM THAT HAS STRUCK THE HEART OF OUR NATION.

ALI: THE MASSACRE IS THE LATEST IN A WAVE OF ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN AUSTRALIA OVER THE LAST YEAR.

SYNAGOGUES AND CARS TORCHED, HOMES GRAFFITIED, AND JEWS ATTACKED.

AUSTRALIA BLAMED IRAN FOR TWO FOR THE ATTACKS AND CUT TIES TO TEHRAN.

BUT AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT MADE ANY CLAIMS ABOUT SUNDAY'S MASSACRE.

FOR MORE ON THIS TRAGEDY, I'M JOINED BY AMY SPITALNICK CEO OF THE NON-PROFIT JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TO READ WE HAVE SEEN ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKS ON THE RISE IN THE PAST DECADE.

SHOULD WE BE THINKING ABOUT THIS IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT?

AMY: ABSOLUTELY.

WE HAVE UNFORTUNATELY SEEN A HORRIFIC CYCLE OF ANTI-SEMITISM FROM THE TREE OF ATTACK, OR THE ATTACK IN AUSTRALIA JUST THIS WEEKEND, MARKING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY, HANUKKAH, AND ATTACKS TARGETING JEWS IN THE U.S.

UNDER THE GUISE OF PROTESTING POLICY LIKE THE BOULDER MUSEUM ATTACKS THE SPRING.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT NONE OF THESE ARE HAPPENING IN A SILO, THERE PART OF A BROADER NORMALIZATION OF ANTI-SEMITIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND TROPES, THE MYTH OF JEWISH POWER THAT TARGETS JEWS.

RHETORIC LEADS TO REAL-WORLD VIOLENCE.

ALI: WHY IS IT THE SORT OF RHETORIC THAT LEADS TO ATTACKS LIKE THESE?

WHY IS IT SO PERVASIVE NOW?

AMY: IT IS A CONSPIRACY THEORY, PITTING COMMUNITIES AGAINST EACH OTHER, SHOWING DISTRUST IN OUR INSTITUTIONS IN DEMOCRACY AND FUNDAMENTALLY MAKING IT LESS SAFE NOT JUST FOR JEWS, BUT FOR YONE.

AS WE SEE THESE CONSPIRACY THEORIES NORMALIZE, WHETHER IT IS REPLACEMENT AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES, OR CONSPIRACY AREAS ABOUT ZIONIST CONTROL OF FOREIGN POLICY OR FINANCES OR GOVERNMENT, WE ARE LIVING IN A TUMULTUOUS TIME.

PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SCAPEGOATS.

ANTI-SEMITIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES ARE MORE SALIENT THAN A FEW DECADES AGO ACROSS THE IDEOLOGICAL SPECTRUM AND IT WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW.

ALI: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT IS REALLY PREMISED OR NETANYAHU SAID TODAY AGAINST THE AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE.

HE SAID, AUSTRALIAN SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION OF THE PALESTINIAN STATE IS AMONG THE FACTORS THAT LED TO THIS ATTACK.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE ABOUT?

AMY: IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO BE CLEAR THAT WHEN JEWS ARE TARGETED FOR THE ACTIONS OF THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT THAT IS ANTI-SEMITISM.

IT IS A DISTINCTION BETWEEN JEWISH PEOPLE AND THE ACTIONS OF THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT.

CONFLATING THESE THINGS ONLY LEADS TO JEWS BEING LESS SAFE.

WHAT WE NEED FROM POLITICAL LEADERS, WHETHER IT IS PRIME MINISTER'S, PRESIDENT TRUMP ANY LEADER AROUND THE WORLD, ENCOUNTERING ANTI-SEMITISM IS A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY APPROACH.

A REFUSAL TO WEAPONIZE AND EXPLOIT THE LEGITIMATE FEARS AND CONCERNS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.

ALI: WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT RESPONSE, WHAT CAN WE ALL DO?

FROM LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD TO INDIVIDUALS?

AMY: WE HAVE A GOOD ROADMAP FOR THIS.

THE BIDEN HARRIS ADMINISTRATION HAD A STRATEGY TO COUNTER ANTI-SEMITISM, AND THE ENVOY IN AUSTRALIA HAS A SIMILAR PLAN.

WE KNOW IT REQUIRES US TO BUILD BROADER DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE, PROTECTING CORE DEMOCRATIC NORMS, BUILDING EDUCATION AND RESILIENCY SO HATE AND EXTREMISM IS NOT INDOCTRINATED IN THE FIRST PLACE, TEACHING MEDIA AND DIGITAL -- PROTECTING TITLE VI, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE SEEN DISINVESTMENT FROM THESE PROGRAMS BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.

WE NEED THE WHOLE OF SOCIETY, WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH THAT UNDERSTANDS IT IS INHERENT TO PROTECTING DEMOCRACY.

ALI: THANK YOU SO MUCH.