There are moments when humanity breaks through all boundaries – of religion, nationality, culture, and politics. Moments when one person, in a split-second decision, reminds us who we are meant to be.
Such a moment occurred on Bondi Beach in Sydney, when Ahmed al-Ahmed, a local fruit vendor, rushed toward a terrorist during a Hanukkah celebration and risked his own life to save others.
Ahmed did not stand aside. He did not pause to analyze, to ask who the victims were, what faith they practiced, or where they came from.
What stood before him was pure injustice: the attempted murder of innocent people. And he acted. A raw, human instinct – one that requires no ideology, no speech, no justification. Just a clear choice between indifference and responsibility, between fear and courage.
Universal values
In a world obsessed with labels, identities, and divisions, Ahmed’s act reminds us of a simple and ancient truth: Saving lives is a universal value. It does not belong to one religion, one nation, or one flag. It belongs to humanity itself. We are all born in the image of God – that is, as human beings – and it is our actions, not our beliefs, that ultimately define who we are.
This story is not distant from us. Here at home, every single day, Arab doctors, paramedics, and medical professionals save lives – in hospitals, ambulances, emergency rooms, and disaster scenes. They do not ask who lies before them on the stretcher, which god they pray to, or what language they speak. The same is true of other rescue teams: firefighters, first responders, volunteers, and ordinary citizens who step forward in moments of crisis, guided by the same basic human calling.
Terror seeks to fracture society into hostile camps. It feeds on fear, hatred, and separation. Ahmed al-Ahmed’s action does the opposite. It unites. It declares – quietly but powerfully – that there are values greater than any conflict. Life itself is sacred.
So thank you, Ahmed of Australia. Thank you for your courage, for your humanity, for choosing to act rather than freeze. Thank you for reminding us that in moments of truth, religion is irrelevant – only the human being matters.
The writer served as strategic adviser to Shimon Peres, 1990-2016, and is a member of the B’Yachad Natzliach political party.