Thousands of individuals gathered as Bondi Beach reopened just days after a mass shooting targeting Jewish people at a Hanukkah gathering left 15 dead and dozens wounded.

The memorial event started with thousands standing side by side on the sand before forming a massive circle in the ocean, symbolizing unity among Sydney residents and support for the Jewish community, The Associated Press reported.

Police reopened sections of Bondi Beach on Thursday, only five days after the attack. Moreover, amid growing questions about the Jewish community’s safety and concerns over backlash against Muslims, armed officers were posted outside synagogues and mosques in Sydney on Friday, according to the AP.

At Bondi Beach, surfers entered the water for a paddle-out—a ceremony typically held when a surfer passes away that involves participants sitting on their boards while tributes are paid and some splash and cheer. A large crowd turned out for the paddle-out at Bondi: Jews prayed on the sand, and others gathered to observe the scene, according to the .

The attack has fostered a sense of unity, especially as stories like that of Ahmed al Ahmed have come forward. Al Ahmed, a Syria-born Australian Muslim shop owner, tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen, only to be shot and injured by the other assailant.

In a social media video, al Ahmed stated Australia is “the best country in the world” before raising his fist and chanting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,” according to the AP.

Following the tragedy, Australians demonstrated their unity by setting a national record for blood donations, the AP reported. Nearly 35,000 donations were made and more than 100,000 appointments booked since Monday, per the AP, which cited Lifeblood—a branch of the Australian Red Cross.

The iconic Bondi Beach footbridge where the shooters were seen carrying out the attack has become a tribute site for the victims. Next to a chalk drawing of a menorah and an Australian flag is a bumblebee drawing, a symbol honoring 10-year-old Matilda, a victim of the attack.

Australian Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the site and walked across the footbridge.

“I wasn’t prepared for the feelings that hit me when I crossed the bridge,” Ley told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I saw that bridge on television the night it happened, and like all Australians, I was in shock and horror.”

“Then I heard directly from people who sheltered under that bridge and saw the gunmen—people who will never walk through this part of Bondi again without all those feelings coming back,” she added.

Jessica Fox, Ian Thorpe, Steve Solomon, and other athletes visited the memorial and laid flowers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“Moments like this—coming together, connecting, vowing for change, and striving for improvements and prosperity as a community and country—are what give us hope to put on the uniform as we have today,” Solomon, who is Jewish, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Fox, who is also Jewish, became emotional at the site and said, “It shouldn’t take a tragedy to bring people together.”