A local Jewish rabbi and an October 7 survivor were among those caught in the Sydney shooting, as accounts emerged of who the victims were in the Bondi Beach attack.
Chabad, the Orthodox Jewish movement that organizes large public events during major Jewish holidays, identified one of those killed as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a key organiser of the event, according to Associated Press.
One of the survivors, who has not been identified, said he had lived in Israel for the last 13 years and survived the October 7 attacks in 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to 9News Australia.
He said he arrived in Australia two weeks ago “to work with the Jewish community, to fight antisemitism, to fight this bloodthirsty, ravishing hatred”.
At least 11 people were killed on Sunday after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on a Sydney beach.
Loved ones on Rabi’s death
Rabbi Eli Schlanger’s friends took to social media to discuss the sad news.
“He wasn’t some distant figure. He was the guy staying up late planning the logistics for a Menorah lighting that most people will take for granted. The one stressing about the weather. The one making sure there were enough latkes and the kids weren’t bored,” Schlanger’s friend Eliezer Tewel wrote on Facebook.
“He was just doing his job. Showing up. Being the constant, reliable presence for his community. And that’s where the gut punch lands: He was killed while doing the most basic, kindest, most normal part of our lives. It wasn’t a battlefield. It was a Chanukah party,” he added
More on Bondi Beach attack victims
The survivor of October 7 could be seen with a bloodied face and a bandage wrapped around his head as he described the incident as “a bloodbath, it was an absolute massacre”.
“I was here with my family, it was a Hanukkah celebration, there were hundreds of people, there were children, there were elderly, families enjoying themselves,” he told 9News.
The survivor also said how he never imagined he would see “absolute bloodbath” in Australia.
“I saw children fall to the floor, I saw elderly, I saw invalids, it was an absolute bloodbath.
“October 7, that’s the last time I saw this. I never thought I’d see this in Australia, not in my lifetime, on Bondi Beach of all places, this iconic place.”
He also had a message of hope to share.
“We’ve lived through worse, we’re gonna get through this, and we’re going to get the bastards who did this,” he said.