A joyous Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach turned into a scene of unimaginable tragedy Sunday evening when a father-and-son duo opened fire on the gathered crowd, killing 15 people and hospitalizing 42 others in what authorities are calling a deliberate act of anti-Semitic terrorism.
Among the victims were individuals whose lives embodied both the tragic history and vibrant present of the Jewish community. Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, 87, originally from Ukraine, was killed while shielding his wife Larisa from the gunfire. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who survived one of history’s greatest atrocities fell victim to modern-day hatred on what should have been a night of celebration.
The attack also claimed Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, a community leader who had helped organize the Hanukkah gathering. Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry memorialized Schlanger as “the very best of us,” noting his daily mission was simply “doing good. Whatever good he could find, whatever kind deeds he could perform.”
The international scope of the tragedy became evident as French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the death of French citizen Dan Elkayam, a promising amateur footballer building a new life in Sydney. Sydney’s Rockdale Ilinden football club remembered Elkayam as an “extremely talented and popular figure amongst team mates.”
The youngest victim, a 10-year-old girl, succumbed to her injuries at a children’s hospital, representing the most heartbreaking loss in an attack that spanned generations.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the shooting as “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores.” As investigation continues into the motivations behind the attack, authorities have confirmed the plot was deliberately designed to sow terror among Australia’s Jewish population during one of their most significant religious observances.