Bondi our own October 7′: Jewish leader mourned
A synagogue has been filled to the rafters as hundreds of people turn out to mourn a beloved rabbi slain in the Bondi Beach shooting.
A rabbi killed in the Bondi Beach shooting has been hailed as a man capable of saving lives through his community work as hundreds gathered to mourn his death
Assistant rabbi Eli Schlanger was one of 15 people killed when father-and-son terrorists opened fire on a religious celebration on Bondi Beach on Sunday.
His emotional father-in-law gave testament to Rabbi Schlanger’s warmth and compassion, both with his family and the NSW Jewish community.
“Our community suffered our own seventh of October,” Rabbi Yehoram Ulman said in his eulogy, referencing the Hamas attack in Israel in 2023.
Loud sobbing could be heard inside the Chabad of Bondi synagogue during the service as hundreds gathered to commemorate his life on Wednesday morning.
A heavy police and security presence, including the complete closure of the road where the synagogue is located, was in place for the funeral.
Mourners comfort family member Photo: Mark Baker/AP
Dozens of mourners were left outside the building as the synagogue reached capacity, with many watching a live stream of the service on their phones.
The synagogue is a significant focal point for the sizeable local Jewish community and was where Rabbi Schlanger worked and helped organise the Chanukkah by the Sea event on Sunday.
The event marked the first day of the Jewish festival of lights, also spelled Hanukkah.
Victim Rabbi Eli Schlanger (Instagram)
Rabbi Ulman also spoke of the tremendous lengths his son-in-law went to in providing spiritual support for the incarcerated.
“He became super involved with prisons and would drive three, four hours each way to visit one single prisoner,” he said.
His loved ones and the local Jewish community were planning to return to the scene of the shooting at Bondi to light eight candles in a show of strength, the rabbi revealed.
The hearse left the synagogue on Wednesday morning behind a guard of Corrective Services officers and followed by the mourners, including state Jewish leader David Ossip.
Also among the political attendees were Liberal MP Julian Leeser, local independent MP Allegra Spender and Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chief of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, was seen helping move the rabbi’s coffin inside.
Multiple Christian priests attended in a multi-faith show of solidarity.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with the rabbi’s family yesterday, as well as many of the families of the shooting’s other victims.
Five other memorials will take place on Wednesday, including another rabbi killed in the shooting, Yaakov Levitan.
The youngest victim of the attack, 10-year-old Matilda, is expected to be laid to rest on Thursday.
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