Hundreds attended the first of 15 funerals in Sydney after the Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, was the first to be buried; family and friends described him as the heart of the congregation. Authorities say a local father and son carried out the attack; the son faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder. Police have increased security as investigations continue.
Funerals Begin for Bondi Beach Victims — Sydney Community Mourns as Probe Continues
Family members of Rabbi Eli Schlanger lean over his coffin during his funeral. / Credit: Hollie ADAMS / POOL /AFP via Getty Images
Hundreds of mourners gathered at a synagogue in Sydney on Wednesday for the first of 15 funerals following the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, the assistant rabbi at Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi who helped organize what began as a joyful public celebration, was the first to be laid to rest. The service took place a few blocks from the stretch of sand where Schlanger and other members of the close-knit Jewish community were shot.
After sharp criticism that security at Sunday’s event had been inadequate, police maintained a heavy presence around the synagogue. Officers were checking identification for those approaching the funeral, reflecting heightened concern for public safety as the community grieves.
Rabbi Moshe Gutnick expressed his anguish at having to attend funerals
Rabbi Moshe Gutnick described Schlanger as 'an angel' and 'the heart and soul of the synagogue,' saying the community will miss him deeply.
Also among the dead was 62-year-old Reuven Morrison, Gutnick’s brother-in-law, who — according to Morrison’s daughter — hurled stones at one of the attackers during the incident. Family and friends were visibly overwhelmed during Schlanger’s service, many speaking through tears in tribute to the father of five; his youngest child had been born only seven weeks earlier.
Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, Schlanger’s father-in-law, said his greatest regret was not telling Eli often enough how much he was loved and how proud the family was of him.
Investigation and Charges
Police say the attackers were a father and son from the local area: 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram. Sajid Akram, an Indian national who emigrated to Australia in 1998, was killed during the attack. Naveed Akram, an Australian national, was wounded and initially left in a coma; he regained consciousness in hospital and was charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.
Investigations are ongoing as the community prepares for more funerals in the coming days. Many mourners have drawn painful parallels between this sequence of losses and other mass attacks, underscoring the depth of shock felt across Sydney’s Jewish community.
