Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, was among 16 killed in a terror attack on Bondi Beach during Hanukkah. Photo / @bondirabbi, Instagram
A British-born rabbi who recently urged the Australian Prime Minister “not to betray the Jewish people” was among those killed in the terror attack on Bondi Beach.
Eli Schlanger, 41, was one of 16 people shot dead during a celebration for the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday.
Others killed in the massacre included a Holocaust survivor, who died trying to protect his wife, and an Israeli citizen.
Schlanger, a father of five who was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, a Jewish cultural centre, grew up in Temple Fortune, north London, and had family members at Kinloss Synagogue in Finchley, according to Jewish News.
Just weeks ago, he had written a letter to Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister, urging him to support Israel.
Channel 12 reported him as having written: “As a rabbi in Sydney, I beg you not to betray the Jewish people and not God Himself.
“Jews have been torn from their land again and again by leaders who are now remembered with contempt in the pages of history.
“You have an opportunity to stand on the side of truth and justice.”
His first cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, from Brighton, told Jewish News: “How can a joyful rabbi who went to a beach to spread happiness and light, to make the world a better place, have his life ended in this way?”
Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, a grandfather who moved from Siberia to Ukraine and later emigrated to Australia with his wife, Larisa, was also among the dead.
The couple, who have two children and 11 grandchildren, had come to the beach to celebrate Hanukkah, the Daily Mail reported.
Kleytman, who was married to her husband for 50 years, said: “I think he was shot because he raised himself up to protect me, in the back of the head.”
Arsen Ostrovsky, a Jewish leader who recently moved back to Australia from Israel to fight anti-Semitism, survived after being struck in the head when the gunmen opened fire.
Ostrovsky, who is head of the Sydney office of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, said the terror attack reminded him of the one carried out by Hamas in Israel in 2023.
He told Channel 9 News: “Oct 7 – that’s the last time I saw this. I never thought I would see this in Australia.
“It was a bloodbath. It was an absolute massacre. I was with my family; it was a Hanukkah celebration. There were hundreds of people. There were children, elderly people, families enjoying themselves.
“All of a sudden, it’s absolute chaos. There’s guns, fire everywhere, people ducking. We didn’t know what was happening or where the gunfire was coming from.”
Ostrovsky, who lived in Israel for 13 years, said he had moved back to Australia two weeks ago to “help the Jewish community”.
He said he was not sure what caused his injuries, adding: “I got hit in the head. I’m bleeding. I’ve lost a lot of blood. There are people around me. I saw blood gushing in front of me.
“I saw people hit, people fall to the ground. My only concern was, ‘Where are my kids? Where’s my wife? Where’s my family?’ I saw at least one gunman firing. It looked like a shotgun. He was firing randomly in all directions. I saw children falling to the floor.”
Just weeks earlier, he had warned about an “alarming surge in Jew-hatred since October 7, including the defilement of Australian landmarks being hijacked as platforms for intimidation and incitement against the Jewish community”.
Ostrovsky made the comment in response to a graffiti incident at Bondi Beach, in which “F*** Zionist Israel” was spray-painted on to a lifeguard post, according to the Jerusalem Post.
An Israeli backpacker described hearing gunshots before fleeing the beach.
Kobi Farkash, an Israeli backpacker, said he had been at the celebration for only about 15 minutes when the first gunshots rang out.
Farkash, 37, told The Telegraph: “It was a sunny day, and I went to the beach. When I arrived, I heard Jewish music for Hanukkah and wanted to join.
“I met a Jewish man outside and he told me I could go inside. There were security people there, but they were not armed. There was a fence, but it was an open area.”
He added: “There were a few hundred people there. It was an event for families, with a lot of children – people playing with balloons and taking part in activities.
“After walking around for about 15 minutes, I heard five gunshots – boom, boom, boom. I thought it was fireworks.”
Farkash said he was initially confused until he saw a man in his 50s lying on the ground with blood coming from his neck.
“I realised it was a terror attack and I just ran,” he said. “I left the beach and went into another street.
“As I was running, I could hear children crying and people running and screaming, especially those who had been at the event. It was very intense.”
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