Mourners gathered in Sydney on Wednesday as the initial burials commenced for some of the 15 individuals slain in Australia’s most terrible mass shooting in nearly three decades.
Emotional scenes unfolded at Chabad Bondi in Sydney, where large crowds paid tributes before a service honoring Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who perished in Sunday’s massacre targeting Jewish families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
Family members wept as Schlanger’s casket, draped in black velvet with a gold Star of David, was brought into the synagogue.
Schlanger, 41, had organized the “Hanukkah by the Sea” event at Bondi Beach and served as an assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi. He was a father of five children, the youngest son being only two months old.
Known as the “Rabbi of Bondi,” Schlanger is described as a devoted and beloved chaplain who tirelessly worked “for the good of Jewish life in the Bondi community” through Chabad—a global Jewish organization seeking to advance Jewish identity and connection, the organization reported.
“Anything I say today will be an understatement of what you mean to everyone, to your family, and to me personally,” Rabbi Yoram Ulman stated. “You are my son, my friend, my confidant.”
“A day without you is unimaginable.”
Before the funeral, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese informed reporters that Schlanger “was clearly very beloved in the community, not just by family.”
“I think the thoughts and hearts of all Australians are with those families as they say goodbye to their loved ones,” he remarked.
The burials took place amidst Sydneysiders continuing a massive flow of sorrow and support, laying flowers and lighting candles at the Bondi Pavilion, adjacent to the world-famous beach where Sunday’s carnage occurred.
Australian authorities state that the suspects in the attack—a father and son—were driven by “Islamic State” ideology, and Australian counter-terrorism officials suspect the pair received military training in the southern Philippines last month, an area notorious for Islamic extremism, public broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday.
Mael Lanyon, Commissioner of the New South Wales state police, told local Australian radio that the younger suspect, Nawid Akram, awoke from a coma on Tuesday, and police anticipate pressing charges against him later on Wednesday, according to ABC.
The indiscriminate shooting during one of the most joyous days on the Jewish calendar took the lives of several generations—from a 10-year-old girl to a Holocaust survivor.
The massacre followed a wave of antisemitic assaults across Australian cities—arson and vandalism against Jewish sites and property. Australia’s Jewish leaders have been urging the government for years to do more to combat rising antisemitism in the nation.
Earlier on Wednesday, Albanese expressed a desire to “eradicate antisemitism” in society and was prepared to review legislation to aid in this. The Prime Minister told ABC that it is “difficult to create laws against such widespread hatred,” but he is ready to update statutes such as Australia’s hate speech laws and provide law enforcement and intelligence agencies “all necessary powers.”
Speaking at a Hanukkah celebration at the White House, US President Donald Trump began with a message of solidarity for Australia’s Jewish community.
“As we commemorate the third night of Hanukkah… allow me to take a moment to send love and prayers to our entire nation, the people of Australia, and especially to all who have been affected by the horrible and antisemitic terrorist attack,” Trump told attendees.
More Stories of Courage and Heroism
In an update on Wednesday, the New South Wales Health Department reported that 21 people injured in the shooting remain hospitalized, one in critical condition, and four are serious but stable.
Among the wounded is probationary Constable Jack Hibbert, whose family issued a statement saying the 22-year-old sustained gunshot wounds to the head and shoulder in the assault and lost sight in one eye.
“While he miraculously survived, Jack’s injuries have resulted in the loss of sight in one eye, and he now faces a long and complicated recovery requiring further operations,” the family reported.
Hibbert, who had been serving with the police for only four months, “responded with courage, instinct, and selflessness, continuing to defend and assist others despite his wounds until he physically could not do so,” the statement said.
Tributes have also poured in for several bystanders who attempted to stop the shooters during the attack. Bodycam footage released on Tuesday showed a couple in their 60s, Boris and Silfia Sacharow, rushing toward one of the armed assailants. Boris Sacharow grappled with the attacker, exiting a vehicle and wrestling for the weapon. The Sacharows, a Russian-Jewish couple residing in Bondi, were killed in the confrontation.
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