Funeral takes place for rabbi killed in Bondi shooting

The first funeral for one of the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting took place in Sydney as thousands gathered to mourn Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

He was among 15 people killed when two gunmen, allegedly motivated by the Islamic State ideology, opened fire on a festival marking the first day of Hanukkah.

Rabbi Schlanger, known as the “Rabbi of Bondi” and who helped organize Sunday’s event, was born in the United Kingdom. His wife gave birth to their fifth child just two months ago.

Rabbi Levi Wolff, who opened the service, said his death was “an indescribable loss” for the community, Bondi Chabad and “the entire Jewish nation.”

“Eli was ripped away from us while he was doing what he loved most,” he said.

“Spreading love and joy and caring for his people with infinite sacrifice in his life and death, he rose as one of the highest and holiest spirits.”

A beloved person of the community, he was mourned by his father-in-law. Rabbi Yehoram Ulman told the congregation at Bondi Chabad that the 41-year-old was “my son, my friend, my confidant.”

“My biggest regret, other than the obvious, was telling Eli more often how much we loved him, how much I loved him, how much we appreciated everything he did, and how proud we were of him,” Rabbi Ulman said.

“I hope he knows that, but I think it should have been said more often.”

Ulman also called on Jewish people not to hide after the attack and said they would continue a 31-year-old tradition and light the last candle on Bondi Beach on Sunday night, the last night of Hanukkah.

“All rabbis, we will gather on Bondi Beach under the banner of Bondi, our Chabat home to which Eli dedicated his life,” he said.

The funeral of Rabbi Yaakov Levitan is also expected to be held on Wednesday afternoon, and the funeral of the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda, is expected to be held on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Bondi on Wednesday, Matilda’s father praised lifeguards, bystanders and police officers who came to his aid as he fought to save his daughter’s life, and a woman who helped their little girl Summer.

“The biggest thank you must go to the woman who saved Summer,” he said. “I don’t know who he is, but he literally hugged her for the entire ten-minute shoot.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, former prime minister Scott Morrison and Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon were among those who attended Schlanger’s funeral.

Anthony Albanese was absent. Asked about his absence on ABC NewsRadio, the prime minister said: “I attend whatever I’m invited to. These are funerals for people to say goodbye to their loved ones.”

The Jewish community criticized Albanians for not taking adequate action against anti-Semitism.

The Prime Minister defended himself against these accusations on Wednesday, telling ABC NewsRadio that he had taken a number of measures, including appointing the country’s first antisemitism ambassador, toughening hate speech laws and increasing funding for social cohesion projects and Jewish institutions.

He also said one of the two men accused of carrying out Sunday’s attack would be charged later on Wednesday, but NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon later said this could be down to his medical condition.

“It’s important that he has the appropriate cognitive ability. In fairness, we need him to understand exactly what happened,” he told reporters in Sydney.

Naveed Akram reportedly woke up from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after being shot and seriously injured by police in Sunday’s attack. His father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was shot dead.

It was reported that the duo, who allegedly shot at people attending the Hanukkah festival for about 10 minutes, went to the Philippines in November and the police were investigating whether they met with Islamic extremists.

Two police officers were seriously injured in the clash, and police confirmed on Wednesday that one of them lost the sight in one eye as a result.

Jack Hibbert, 22, had been on the force for only four months when he was shot, police said in a statement. During the attack, he “responded with courage, instinct, and selflessness, continuing to protect and assist others while injured until he was physically unable to do so anymore.”

The second officer, Scott Dyson, was taken into surgery again this morning and is in critical but stable condition, Lanyon added.

Simon Atkinson contributed reporting.