Bondi Beach Shooting: Holocaust survivor and French citizen among those killed in tragedy that shook Sydney; here’s what we know about the victims

Bondi Beach Shooting: The death toll in the Bondi Beach shooting, which shook Sydney on Sunday (December 14, 2025), rose to 16, including a 10-year-old girl and the gunman, according to ABC News. Besides those who lost their lives in the tragedy, dozens more were left injured, including police officers responding to the scene who were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Chaos ensued after two gunmen opened fire on an event marking the first day of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. The shooting victims ranged in age from 10 to 87, the NYT reported, citing authorities. They included a long-serving rabbi of the local Jewish community, a French citizen celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney and a Holocaust survivor.

Details are still emerging about the victims of the attack, which authorities said targeted attendees of a Hanukkah celebration held on Bondi Beach, one of Australia's most iconic beaches.

Bondi Beach shooting: Here's what we know about the victims

Rabbi Eli Schlanger

Schlanger, the assistant rabbi in Chabad of Bondi and a key organiser of the event, lost his life in the attack. According to NYT News, his death was confirmed by Chabad, a global organisation based in the Brooklyn borough of New York City dedicated to strengthening and enriching Jewish life by providing religious, educational, social and cultural services around the world.

The organisation, in a social media post, said that Schlanger had served the Bondi community as a rabbi and chaplain for 18 years, since his marriage to his wife, Chaya. The event he organised, Hanukkah by the Sea, was intended to be "the perfect family event to celebrate light, warmth and community," according to a social media post on Instagram.

According to reports, Schlanger was a part of the delegation of rabbis who visited Israel in 2023 in the wake of the October 7 attack led by Hamas. He had recently said that in the face of darkness, the way forward is to "be more Jewish, act more Jewish and appear more Jewish," according to Chabad.

Dan Elkayam

The list of victims in the Sunday attack also included a French citizen, Dan Elkayam, President Emmanuel Macron said on social media Sunday.

"It is with deep sadness that I learn of the death of our compatriot Dan Elkayam in the antisemitic terrorist attack in Sydney," he said. "My thoughts are with his family and loved ones." Elkayam had been celebrating Hanukkah at the event in Sydney, Chabad said in a social media post.

Alex Kleytman

Kleytman, a native of Ukraine, was killed in the Bondi Beach shooting, Chabad said on Sunday.

The organisation revealed that Kleytman was a Holocaust survivor from Ukraine. He had attended the event with his children and grandchildren. It further stated that he lost his life while trying to shield his wife, Larisa, from the gunman's bullets. He is survived by his wife, his two children and 11 grandchildren.

Reuven Morrison

Morrison, a businessperson originally from the Soviet Union, "discovered his Jewish identity in Sydney," Chabad said, as quoted by NYT News. He spent his time between Melbourne, where he and his wife moved for his daughter's education, and Sydney, where he did business, the group added.

Arsen Ostrovsky sustained injuries

Arsen Ostrovsky, who told the news media that he had moved only two weeks ago from Israel to Australia, where he will lead the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, was wounded in the attack. He said in interviews with Australian news outlets that he had seen at least one gunman "firing randomly in all directions," NYT News reported. A bullet grazed his head, he said later in a post on the social platform X, but added that he would make a full recovery.