Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Rachel Hall , Martin Farrer and Benita Kolovos

What we know about the victims of the Bondi beach terror attack

Aftermath of shooting incident at Bondi Beach, in Sydney
Candles burn following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi beach in Sydney Photograph: Flavio Brancaleone/Reuters

At least 16 people were killed and more than 40 wounded when gunmen fired on a Hanukah celebration in Bondi beach, which Australian police and officials are describing as a terrorist attack.

In the latest update on Monday morning, New South Wales premier Chris Minns, has confirmed 16 people, including one of the alleged gunmen, have died, and 42 people injured in the shooting were taken to hospital.

Those who died are yet to be formally identified but police believe their ages range between 10 and 87-years-old, he said.

Here are the victims who have been named so far.

Eli Schlanger

London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, was the first victim to be named.

Jewish News reported that the father-of-five, who was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, a Jewish cultural centre, grew up in Temple Fortune, north London, and his family members attend Kinloss synagogue in Finchley. His first cousin, Brighton-based Rabbi Zalman Lewis, described Schlanger as “vivacious, energetic, full of life and a very warm outgoing person who loved to help people”.

He told Jewish News: “How can a joyful rabbi who went to a beach to spread happiness and light, to make the world a better place, have his life ended in this way?

“We can only respond by doing what Eli would have wanted, what he dedicated his life to – doing more mitzvot (good deeds) and to keep spreading positive energy.”

Schlanger and his wife, Chayala, celebrated the birth of their youngest child, a boy, in October.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which represents the Australian Jewish community, told the ABC Schlanger was “a person who personified goodness and godliness and holiness, a person who lived literally for no reason other than to do good deeds” .

“I was praying, please don’t let it be him. I don’t know what we’ll do as a community without him,” Ryvchin said.

Alexander Kleytman

Alexander Kleytman was also among those killed, his wife Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside St Vincent’s Hospital.

“We were standing and suddenly came the ‘boom boom’, and everybody fell down. At this moment he was behind me and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me,” she told the Australian.

The couple were both Holocaust survivors, and had recounted their experiences to JewishCare in 2023.

“As children, both Larisa and Alexander faced the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust. Alex’s memories are particularly harrowing; the dreadful conditions in Siberia where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival,” the Australian Jewish health provider’s 2022/23 annual report reads.

“The scars of the past, however, did not deter them from seeking a brighter future. They later made the move to Australia, immigrating from Ukraine.”

Dan Elkayam

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has confirmed French man Dan Elkayam is among the dead. In a translated post from X, Barrot said France mourned with his family and loved ones, with the Jewish community and the Australian people.

“This low act is a new, tragic manifestation of a revolting outpouring of antisemitic hatred that we must put a stop to,” he wrote.

“France will spare no effort to eradicate antisemitism wherever it is emerges, and to combat antisemitism in all its forms. The light of Hanukah must not be extinguished and they will not be.”

The president, Emmanuel Macron, said his thoughts were with Elkayam’s family and their loved ones and expressed to them “the fullest solidarity of the nation.”

Elkayam was a member of Arncliffe Aurora Football Club, in southern Sydney, and was on their premier league squad for the upcoming 2026 season.

“Dan was a valued and deeply respected member of our football community. Our hearts are with his family, friends, teammates, and all those who loved him during this unimaginably difficult time,” the club wrote on Instagram. “Dan will always remain part of our club.”

Reuven Morrison

Also known as Rueben, Morrison emigrated from the former Soviet Union to Australia in the 1970s. Chabad.org reported he divided his time between Sydney and Melbourne, and was a “successful businessman whose main goal was to give away his earnings to charities dear to his heart”.

In a 2024 interview with the ABC, he said had experienced persecution as Jewish person in the Soviet Union but didn’t expect it to be happening in Australia.

“We came here with the view that Australia is the safest country in the world and the Jews would not be faced with such anti-Semitism in the future, where we can bring up our kids in a safe environment,” he said.

One child

A 10-year-old girl who was taken to the Sydney Children’s Hospital is among those who had died, NSW police have confirmed.

One Israeli citizen

An Israeli citizen was among those killed during the attack, according to multiple reports citing the Israeli foreign ministry.

Twenty-nine injured

Forty-two were transported to nearby hospitals and 38 remain – with five in critical conditions with the others remaining in serious and stable conditions. Two are police officers who attended the scene, who police said are in crticial but stable conditions.

One of the injured is a man who rushed to the scene to tackle one of the gunmen, who has been hailed a local hero. He has two bullet wounds, one in his arm and one in his hand, but is recovering well in hospital, his relative said. Seven News reported that the bystander was a 43-year-old fruit shop owner from the Sutherland Shire.

Arsen Ostrovsky

One of the injured to be identified is the head of the Sydney office of a public affairs organisation for the Australian Jewish community. Arsen Ostrovsky, head of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Sydney office and an international human rights lawyer, was named by the Jerusalem Post, where he is a long-time contributor, as among those wounded. The Jerusalem Post reported Ostrovsky was receiving treatment and has been in contact with people via WhatsApp.

An image has been released of Ostrovsky lying on the floor with blood dripping down his face.

“[I’m] in [the] hospital recovering now,” Ostrovsky wrote to the Jerusalem Post. “Bullet grazed head. Lot of bleeding. Doctors said miracle survived, was that close. Have been stitched up now. Worst thing was being apart from my wife + kids at that instance. I got hit when I went towards them. Thankfully they got out Ok. It was absolute bloodbath, children and elderly everywhere. Felt like scene from Nova. But also incredible seeing how everyone rushed to help. Surreal.”

Evan Zlatkis

Executive Council of Australian Jewry director of media, Evan Zlatkis, was also injured in the attack, telling the Daily Telegraph he heard “dozens and dozens” of gunshots. As he fled, he said he felt he was bleeding.

“I thought it was rubber bullets, but it’s gone into my own skin and into my leg,” he said. “I’ve been shot myself. They bandaged me up. I’m ok.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.