A mass shooting took place Sunday evening, December 14, 2025, during a Chanukah celebration hosted by Chabad of Bondi at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Eleven people were murdered and 28 others were injured, including two police officers. Among those murdered was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Shliach of the Rebbe in Sydney.

Rabbi Schlanger served as a rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and was a key organizer of the event. He was the son-in-law of Yehoram Ulman and Shternie Ulman, who direct the Chabad center in Bondi. For 18 years, since his marriage to his wife Chaya, he served the Bondi community as a rabbi and chaplain, devoted to his shlichus.

The shooting occurred during “Chanukah by the Sea,” the annual Chanukah gathering that has been a staple on Bondi Beach for decades, drawing crowds of hundreds, including many families with young children who came to light the first candle of Chanukah. Held near the playground at Bondi Beach Park, the family event featured a public menorah lighting, music, activities, crafts, and kosher food. The program began at 5:30 PM local time and was interrupted by gunfire at approximately 6:45 PM, sending attendees fleeing in all directions. Police urged the public to avoid the area and seek shelter as the operation continued.

According to reports, two gunmen opened fire on participants at the Chanukah celebration, with some reports saying they fired from a nearby bridge overlooking the gathering. Video circulating online shows Ahmed al Ahmed, a local fruit shop owner and father of two, tackling one of the gunmen and disarming him after being wounded in the confrontation. Relatives said he was hospitalized and underwent surgery. Witnesses said the intervention helped slow the attack and gave others time to escape. Police said one attacker was later shot and killed, and the second was taken into custody with injuries.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks in Israel, Australian Jewry has faced a string of incidents, including an arson attack at Melbourne’s Adass Shul and an arson attempt at East Melbourne Synagogue. There have also been reports of vandalism and major protests. Earlier this year, Rabbi Schlanger joined fellow Sydney rabbonim and shluchim on a solidarity trip to Eretz Yisroel to support soldiers and residents.

Chaim Levy, a Sydney resident who was at the event with his children and managed to escape, told Ynet, “It was an event organized by Chabad on the beach, and 400 people came to light a Chanukah candle, like we do every year. Suddenly we heard explosions, and we didn’t know what it was. I grabbed my son, we hid behind a car until the shooting stopped, and then we ran to our car. My wife and daughter ran to another place, without shoes, we just fled. We left strollers and bags there. We’re in shock.”

Vlad, a State Emergency Services chaplain who attended the event with his eight-year-old son, said he pushed his son to the ground and covered him as the shooting erupted. He later said he would light the Chanukah candles he purchased at the event at home to “keep the show going” and to show that “we are not afraid.”

A source in Chabad Australia said, “This is an extremely severe event, not just another antisemitic attack, but a large, multi-casualty terror attack against our Jewish community.”

In a preliminary statement after the shooting, Chabad spokesperson Shimi Segal said he had received “difficult news from Sydney,” adding that many people, including shluchim, were injured in a mass shooting at the Chanukah event, and that more details would follow.

In an updated statement, Segal said: “Eleven people were murdered today and dozens more were injured after two terrorists opened fire on Jews who were participating in a massive Chanukah gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The attack took place at 6:30 PM, exactly at the moment they were meant to light the menorah. After long minutes of gunfire and dozens of participants being struck, a bystander managed to neutralize one terrorist, while the second was neutralized and captured by police.”

He added: “Minutes after the reports, shluchim in the city were instructed to close the events immediately. Security forces deployed across Jewish centers and closed access to shuls and Chabad houses out of concern for a third attacker. Shuls and Chabad houses will remain closed tomorrow, and police asked us to cancel the Chanukah events planned for the coming week, until further notice.”

In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, saying, “We saw the evil, and we saw Jewish heroism at its peak.” President Isaac Herzog paused a public ceremony after receiving the news and told community leaders that “the Jewish people never give up. We are an eternal people, and the candles will be lit again as of tomorrow.”

ZAKA announced it is sending an international delegation to Australia, led by Yossi Landau, to assist local teams responding to the tragedy. The delegation is expected to travel on a special flight and join volunteers already working at the scene.

Please say Tehillim for:
Yaakov ben Ettel
Chaya Mushka bas Sterna Sarah
Reuven ben Manya
Yaakov Dov ben Penina
Yosef ben Sterna Sarah
Yehuda Leib ben Monya