SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Leaders in the Utah Jewish community have prepared security measures ahead of their Festival of Lights celebration, following a deadly attack at a similar holiday event in Australia.

At least 11 people were killed, and 29 were injured after two gunmen attacked a Hanukkah celebration on a beach in Sydney. Government officials called the shooting an act of antisemitism and terrorism.

Officials with the United Jewish Federation of Utah released a statement Sunday echoing this sentiment, saying they are “heartbroken and outraged by the antisemitic terrorist attack.”

“Once again, Jews were targeted simply for being Jewish and for celebrating our traditions and our right to religious freedom. We must not ignore efforts to normalize hatred or to cloak antisemitism in political rhetoric,” the statement read.

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The Jewish community in Utah plans to gather for a Hanukkah celebration at the Capitol Sunday evening, a similar event to the one attacked in Sydney.

Officials said they are working closely with law enforcement and security partners to protect the attendees of the Festival of Lights celebration.

“Chanukah marks the Jewish people’s fight to live openly as Jews – and to bring light into dark times. That message is painfully relevant today. Those who sought to extinguish that light will not succeed,” the statement read.

The statement closed by saying the Utah Jewish community will “stand in solidarity” with communities across the world as they mourn those killed in the attack.

“We mourn the victims, pray for the recovery of the injured, and recommit ourselves to ensuring that the lights of Chanukah continue to shine,” it said.

Read the full statement below:

United Jewish Federation of Utah is heartbroken and outraged by the antisemitic terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia, during a first night-of-Chanukah gathering. According to reports, at least eleven people were killed, with many more injured, as families came together to celebrate the Festival of Lights. As details continue to emerge, we mourn every life lost and hold the victims, the injured, and their loved ones in our hearts.

This was a deliberate act of violence against Jews gathered openly to practice their faith. It must be named clearly: this was antisemitism. Once again, Jews were targeted simply for being Jewish and for celebrating our traditions and our right to religious freedom. We must not ignore efforts to normalize hatred or to cloak antisemitism in political rhetoric.

Chanukah marks the Jewish people’s fight to live openly as Jews – and to bring light into dark times. That message is painfully relevant today. Those who sought to extinguish that light will not succeed. The Jewish people will not retreat from Jewish life in the face of hatred.

As Jewish communities in Utah prepare to gather for Chanukah, we do so with vigilance and resolve. The United Jewish Federation of Utah is in close coordination with local law enforcement and community security partners to help ensure celebrations across our state are safe and secure.

We are grateful for the support of Utah’s elected officials and civic leaders and call on leaders everywhere to speak out clearly and forcefully. This attack must be condemned for what it is: a blatant act of antisemitic terror. Words matter – and so do actions. Strong public safety commitments and an unwavering refusal to normalize antisemitism are essential.

We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of Sydney and with Jewish communities around the world. We mourn the victims, pray for the recovery of the injured, and recommit ourselves to ensuring that the lights of Chanukah continue to shine.

___

HULETT, Wyo. — Three travelers are dead after a head-on collision in Crook County on Dec. 9. According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the crash occurred as the result of an unsuccessful attempt to overtake another vehicle on Highway 212 in the far northeast corner of the state.

According to the WHP report, published on the WYDOT website, a Subaru Forester was westbound on the route, heading towards the Montana-Wyoming border, at around 11:52 a.m.

Near milepost 16, the driver of the vehicle reportedly elected to overtake another passenger vehicle ahead of it on the two-lane highway.

While heading west in the eastbound lane, the Forester collided head-on with a Subaru Outback heading eastbound. Both cars came to sudden and uncontrolled stops in the southern road ditch. The other westbound car, which the Forester had originally attempted to pass, was left unharmed.

The three fatalities have been identified as 29-year-old Johnathan Vought, 73-year-old Eugene Cadwell and 52-year-old Rebecca Cadwell. Vought was reportedly a resident of New York, while both Cadwells resided in Montana.

The report did not indicate who among the deceased were in which car. They were all, however, wearing their seatbelts.

Speed and driver inattention were cited as the primary contributing factors in the incident. Weather conditions, including severe winds, overcast skies and wet roads, were also present during the time of the crash.

A map of the route on which the crash occurred, nestled in the far northeast corner of Wyoming and connecting Montana and South Dakota, can be seen below.

This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol via the Wyoming Department of Transportation Fatal Crash Summary map. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is preparing to deliver a speech Saturday on rebuilding the “arsenal of freedom” at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.

Ahead of the keynote address, Hegseth shared a video on X touring facilities in California. 

“The era of vendor-locked, prime-dominated, closed architecture, cost plus is over. We’re going to compete. We’re going to move fast. We’re going to do open architecture. We’re going to innovate. We’re going to scale. We’re going to do it at cost. Because this is a commitment to a mission,” Hegseth said in the video. 

“Whether you’re a vet or not who served already, all of you are serving the Department of War, the American people and the arsenal of freedom,” Hegseth said. “I need you to understand that, yes, we’re here for the warfighters who are out there pulling triggers on the behalf of our nation right now. Everybody here’s touched someone who serves at some point. But they can’t succeed without you.”

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The secretary told those building the Department of War’s arsenal that American troops would not be able to do what’s required of them “in far-flung places, in dangerous moments, in the dead of night without the capabilities that you will underwrite for them.”

“So, this arsenal of freedom is built not just with men and women in camouflage. But it’s in folks in civilian clothes all across the country who are also putting in the work 24/7, to out-compete, out-innovate and out-manufacture our opponents,” Hegseth declared.

Hegseth’s speech is scheduled to begin around 2:50 p.m. ET, according to a Reagan National Defense Forum schedule. He will be joined at the event by other leaders from the U.S. military.

“We are rebuilding the Arsenal of Freedom,” Hegseth wrote on X alongside the video. 

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The event is being held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

“The Reagan National Defense Forum (RNDF) brings together leaders from across the political spectrum and key stakeholders in the defense community, including Members of Congress, current and former Administration officials, senior military leadership, industry executives, technology innovators, and thought leaders,” the Forum said on its website.

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“Their mission is to review and assess policies that strengthen America’s national defense in the context of the global threat environment.”

Notable speakers at the event so far on Saturday included Russell Vought, the director of the United States Office of Management and Budget; Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., who is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee; Emil Michael, the U.S. under secretary of war for research and engineering; and Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.