Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a longtime Chabad emissary in Sydney, was killed on Sunday in the deadly terror attack during a Hanukkah candlelighting ceremony near Bondi Beach. He was 41 and leaves behind his wife and five children, including an infant son whose brit milah he was filmed attending just weeks ago.
Schlanger was shot during the first night of the Hanukkah event, which he helped organize for the local Jewish community. At least 11 people were killed and 29 were wounded in the antisemitic terror attack, according to authorities.
Schlanger arrived in Sydney in 2008 as part of his Chabad mission and quickly became a central figure in Jewish communal life. Last Hanukkah, he posted a video calling on Jews to “spread light,” documenting himself lighting an electric menorah in public spaces across the city.
Beyond his work in Australia, Schlanger was active in Jewish causes worldwide. He took part in memorial initiatives for victims of the October 7 massacre and, in recent months, traveled to Israel, where he was photographed strengthening and encouraging Israel Defense Forces soldiers. His WhatsApp profile photo showed him surrounded by troops.
Only weeks before his death, Schlanger sent an impassioned letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the Labor government’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
“As a rabbi in Sydney, I ask you not to betray the Jewish people and not to betray God,” Schlanger wrote. He said the land of Israel was given by God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the eternal homeland of the Jewish people and warned that history judges leaders who turn their backs on Jews with contempt.
“You have an opportunity to stand with truth and justice,” he wrote. “By reversing this act of betrayal, you will honor the Jewish people and our heritage and stand with the word of God.”
Rabbi Menachem Kotlarsky of Chabad’s global headquarters said Schlanger was among the movement’s most devoted emissaries. “Rabbi Eli, may his memory be blessed, worked with complete dedication for his community,” he said. “His loss, and the loss of the other Jews murdered, is shocking and unbearable.”
Rabbi Eli Schlanger during Hanukkah 2024 celebrations
Kotlarsky said public Hanukkah candle-lightings worldwide would proceed as planned, with increased security. “His legacy is to continue spreading the light of Hanukkah, to expand joy and not to be deterred by any terrorist,” he said. “No bullet fired by a terrorist can extinguish that light.”
Friends and community members described Schlanger as a charismatic and humble leader who avoided the spotlight but worked tirelessly for others. After the Meron disaster, he helped donate 45 pairs of tefillin through his community. He was also spearheading a major project to build a $30 million community center within a large synagogue.
“He turned Sydney into a vibrant Jewish home, full of activity and spirit,” one colleague said. “He did not seek honor, only to do good, and he truly did.”
Schlanger was an Israeli-Australian citizen. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said no other Israelis were killed in the attack, though one Israeli was wounded and remains hospitalized. Israeli diplomatic officials are assisting the family.
The terror attack occurred at the northern end of Bondi Beach during a ‘Hanukkah by the Sea’ event attended by more than 1,000 people. Gunfire erupted from a nearby bridge as a senior community figure was speaking. Two terrorists dressed in black opened fire before being neutralized by police and civilians. One terrorist was killed, and the other, identified as Nabeed Akram, was seriously wounded.
The investigation into the antisemitic terror attack is ongoing.