New details have emerged about the deadly antisemitic terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, revealing that one of the victims, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, was killed while trying to protect his wife as gunfire erupted at Bondi Beach.
Kleytman, who survived the Holocaust as a child under harsh conditions in Siberia during World War II, was shot in the head during the terror attack, according to his wife, Larisa. The couple, married for nearly 50 years, had attended the annual Hanukkah by the Sea celebration organized by Chabad, a fixture in their lives for years.
Footage from the scene of the terror attack in Bondi Beach
“I think he was shot because he raised himself up to protect me, in the back of the head,” Larisa told the Daily Mail. The couple emigrated to Australia from Ukraine decades ago and raised two children. They have 11 grandchildren.
The shooting took place Sunday evening during a first-night Hanukkah event near Bondi Park, attended by more than 1,000 people, including many families and children. Terrorists opened fire from a nearby bridge as a senior community figure was speaking, killing at least 11 people and wounding 29, including children and police officers.
One of the terrorists was killed at the scene. The second, identified as Naveed Akram, 24, was seriously wounded and taken to the hospital. Australian media reported that Akram worked as a construction laborer but had recently lost his job. Authorities are examining his possible links to extremist Islam and whether he belonged to a terror organization.
Police said a black flag was found near the vehicle used by the terrorists, though it has not yet been confirmed whether it was a jihadist flag such as that associated with ISIS. Claims circulating on social media that Akram immigrated from Lahore, Pakistan, have not been officially confirmed.
Hours after the attack, dozens of police officers raided Akram’s family home in Bonnyrigg, a suburb in southwestern Sydney. Three people were seen leaving the house with their hands raised, and two individuals were detained. Police have not disclosed their identities or their connection to the suspect.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said one of the terrorists had been known to police but was not considered an immediate threat. ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess confirmed the same, saying the suspect was not flagged as posing imminent danger, a point now under review.
Authorities warned against retaliatory violence and urged the public to remain calm as conspiracy theories spread online.
Earlier, it was confirmed that Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Chabad emissary in Sydney since 2008 and a dual Israeli-Australian citizen, was also killed in the attack. Schlanger helped organize the Hanukkah event and leaves behind five children, including an infant son.
The Australian government formally declared the shooting a terror attack and handed the investigation to counterterrorism authorities. “We will turn over every stone,” police said.
Israeli leaders sharply criticized Australia’s government in the wake of the attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said antisemitism had been allowed to fester. “Antisemitism is a cancer,” he said. “It spreads when leaders remain silent. That happened in Australia, and something horrific occurred.”
President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar echoed the criticism, saying the attack was the result of unchecked antisemitic incitement, including chants such as “Globalize the Intifada” heard at protests across Australia since October 7.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the shooting “a black day for all of Australia” and said it was a targeted attack on Jewish Australians during a religious celebration. He pledged full resources to ensure the safety of the Jewish community and to identify all those involved.
“This was an attack on our way of life,” Albanese said. “Every Australian feels broken by what happened at Bondi Beach.”
The investigation remains ongoing.