Deadly Antisemitic Attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach Hanukkah Celebration Claims 15 Lives Including Holocaust Survivor

Larisa Kleytman revealed that both she and her husband, Alexander Kleytman, were Holocaust survivors. Tragically, Alexander was among the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.

Two gunmen launched a deadly attack during a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, resulting in 15 fatalities, including a child. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the assault as an act of antisemitic terrorism that struck at the nation's heart. Officials confirmed the attackers were father and son.

This massacre at one of Australia's most beloved beaches follows numerous antisemitic incidents across the country over the past year, though authorities haven't suggested a direct connection. This tragedy marks Australia's deadliest shooting in almost three decades, despite the country's stringent gun control regulations.

Police fatally shot the 50-year-old gunman, while his 24-year-old son was wounded and hospitalized, according to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon. Authorities noted that one gunman was known to security services, though they had no prior intelligence about a planned attack.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns reported that the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years old. At least 42 others were hospitalized, with several in critical condition.

"What we witnessed yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," Prime Minister Albanese stated. "Bondi Beach is associated with joy, families gathering, and celebrations. It is forever tarnished by what has occurred."

The violence erupted as thousands had gathered at Bondi Beach, including hundreds celebrating the Chanukah by the Sea event marking the beginning of Hanukkah. The festivities featured face painting and a petting zoo before chaos ensued.

Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish organization that conducts outreach worldwide, identified Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an event organizer, among the deceased. Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed an Israeli citizen was killed, while French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a French citizen, Dan Elkayam, was also among the victims.

Emergency services responded to reports of gunfire at approximately 6:45 pm. Bystander videos captured beachgoers fleeing as shots rang out. Additional footage showed two men in black shirts firing long guns from a footbridge leading to the beach. In one dramatic moment captured on Australian television, a man tackled and disarmed one gunman – later identified by relatives as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, whom Minns called a "genuine hero."

Arsen Ostrovsky, a lawyer attending the Hanukkah ceremony with his family, sustained a bullet graze to his head. Having moved from Israel to Australia just two weeks prior to work for a Jewish advocacy group, Ostrovsky described the scene as "pure evil, just an absolute bloodbath. Bodies strewn everywhere."

Lachlan Moran, a 32-year-old from Melbourne, recalled hearing shots while waiting for his family. "I sprinted as quickly as I could," he said, noting that the shooting continued intermittently for about five minutes. "Everyone just dropped all their possessions and everything and were running and people were crying and it was just horrible."

Prime Minister Albanese called for national unity in supporting Australia's Jewish community. Australia, with a population of 28 million, is home to approximately 117,000 Jews. According to the government's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal, antisemitic incidents including assaults, vandalism, threats, and intimidation surged more than threefold in Australia during the year following October 7, 2023.

Last year, Australia experienced antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, where synagogues and cars were torched, properties vandalized, and Jews physically assaulted. In August, Albanese blamed Iran for two of these attacks and severed diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed he had previously warned Australian leaders about the dangers of failing to address antisemitism. He suggested Australia's decision to recognize a Palestinian state "pours fuel on the antisemitic fire."

Commissioner Lanyon confirmed that authorities were not searching for additional suspects. Police found two improvised explosive devices at the scene, described as "rudimentary" devices designed to be ignited by a wick rather than electronically. Bomb disposal experts successfully neutralized them.

Premier Minns indicated there would "almost certainly" be gun law changes following the massacre. The deceased 50-year-old gunman was found to possess six firearms at his residence, raising questions about how he acquired them despite Australia's strict gun control measures implemented after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which claimed 35 lives.

Mass shootings remain extremely rare in Australia. Significant incidents this century have included two murder-suicides with death tolls of five people in 2014 and seven in 2018, plus a 2022 incident where six people died in a shootout between police and Christian extremists in Queensland.

World leaders expressed solidarity following the attack. King Charles III and Queen Camilla stated they were "appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack." United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was horrified, adding that his "heart is with the Jewish community worldwide." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the terrorist attack, stating: "Antisemitism has no place in this world."