Bondi Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 10-year-old girl die in Bondi terror attack as death toll risesRia PandeyNewsWireMon, 15 December 2025 4:32AM
A beloved local rabbi is among those gunned down during a deadly terror attack that unfolded on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
On Sunday evening, two men opened fire on more than 1000 people attending a Hanukkah event, sparking chaotic scenes as hundreds of people were seen fleeing the beach, screaming and running, as gunshots rang out.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was the head of the Chabad mission in Bondi, has been named by a relative as one of the victims of the attack.
His cousin Zalman Lewis posted a tribute online to Rabbi Schlanger, who he described as an “incredible guy” that leaves behind a wife and young children.
Rabbi Schlanger’s friend Eliezer Tewel also posted a tribute online.
“He was just doing his job. Showing up. Being the constant, reliable presence for his community,” Mr Tewel wrote.
“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.”
Religious institution Chabad identified other victims of the attack as Reuven Morrison, a member of the community who lived between Melbourne and Sydney, and Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor who attended the Hanukkah event with his children and grandchildren.
The loss felt “confusing” and like a “piece of (their) world (was) just … missing,” he wrote.
The death of a 12-year-old girl was confirmed by Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin on CNN.
He told the network a friend had “lost his 12-year-old daughter, who succumbed to her wounds in hospital”.
“I know everyone who was (at the festival),” he said.
“That’s an event where I attend with my family every single year.”
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park told the ABC a child was among the 16 people who had died.
Four children had been transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital, he said.
Of the 16 who tragically passed away, NSW Police said they have yet to be formally identified, however authorities believe their ages range between 10 and 87 years old.
More to come.
Originally published as Bondi Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 10-year-old girl die in Bondi terror attack as death toll rises
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