A Holocaust survivor who endured Nazi persecution and the horrors of World War II was reportedly among the victims killed during a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Australia’s Bondi Beach, a horrifying act of violence that left 12 people dead and dozens more wounded.
Alex Kleytman was shot and killed Sunday night as gunfire erupted at the Chanukah by the Sea event in Sydney. According to The Australian, Kleytman was trying to shield his wife, Larisa, when the attack began. The couple had been married for 57 years. Larisa described the devastating final moments as her husband collapsed behind her.
“He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me,” she told The Australian at the scene. “His body is still there, and I am sitting there and don’t know what I have to do.”
Kleytman’s life had already been shaped by extraordinary suffering and resilience. A retired civil engineer, he survived brutal conditions in Siberia during World War II alongside his mother and younger brother after fleeing Nazi persecution. He later immigrated to Australia from Ukraine, building a new life after the Holocaust. In 2023, Alex and Larisa shared their experiences with the Australian Jewish charity Jewish Care, offering testimony about survival, loss, and perseverance.
Another victim of the attack was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Chabad emissary and father of five. His youngest child was born just six weeks ago. Schlanger had organized the Chanukah by the Sea celebration and encouraged friends to attend the candlelighting only hours before the shooting.
“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?” his cousin Zalman Lewis asked in comments to Jewish News.
The attack struck a community gathering meant to celebrate faith, tradition, and resilience, transforming a night of joy into one of horror and mourning. The victims included people of multiple nationalities. Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that one Israeli citizen was among those killed, and another Israeli was injured in the shooting.
Police fatally shot one of the alleged gunmen at the scene. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said authorities do not believe any children were among those killed, though the violence left deep scars across families and the broader community. Twenty-nine people were injured in total, including two police officers.
The mass shooting has shocked Australia and drawn international attention, particularly because it targeted a Jewish religious celebration. For many, the death of Alex Kleytman carries profound symbolic weight: a man who survived the Holocaust, escaped persecution, and rebuilt his life was ultimately murdered while trying to protect his wife at a Hanukkah gathering decades later.
As investigations continue and communities grieve, the attack stands as a grim reminder that hatred and violence can reemerge even in places of peace and remembrance. For the families of the victims, including those who survived some of history’s darkest chapters, the loss is both deeply personal and unbearably tragic.
[READ MORE: MAGA Leaders Worry Trump Is Losing Voters]
